Freedigitalphotos.netPhoto by Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee. The Cage No matter how gilded the cage, It’s still naught but a cage; And I, how could I willingly submit to captivity? I refuse to be your magnificent beast Hidden away in your den. Does a lion not lose its eminence When captured from its pride? And is a little band of gold Supposed to buy my soul? If you try to force my love, I will disappear, And you will be left to wonder, Was she ever really here? 10/10/95 I know I am a 42 year old woman. I know that I am white. I know that I have a college education. I know that I am a business owner. I am a mother of two grown children. Beyond that, I am lost. It is fascinating to me that in the span of a very few months, my life has been radically transformed, and faster than I ever could have imagined. I think about this often on my weekly drives from Fort Myers to Key Largo and back.