Whispers of A Captive Daughter

Mother asked me to shut my mouth,
That no one must hear of the Grendel,
Nor the whisper of my body’s grief,
Seep from the horse’s mouth.

Mother asked me to zip my lips,
For if I speak of my ordeal,
Our head will be taken away,
And hunger will be our fate.

Mother told me to obey the commander,
Who touts my body for pennies,
While men old as he devour me,
Like a lion feasting on a frail gazelle.

Mother warned of the calamity
That would fall upon her flesh,
Should I seek to own my body,
And refuse to kneel before his rule.

Yet, I yearn for freedom’s breath,
To break these chains of misery.
Each day, I wither into a shadow,
Longing for a life unchained from fear.