Made of wire
covered by plasticine
she moves through the world
with awkward grace.
For decades, inside the sturdy sculpture
sits the child; head down, hands wrapped around her knees
she begins to awaken.
The scar tissue that solidly formed
and held her in place
weakens and gives way.
Lifting her head
she unfurls her arms from her knees
and sees that translucent butterfly wings
have taken the place of limbs
that atrophied long ago.
On wobbly legs, the child stands
and breaks all but one of the sinewy tendrils that were holding her down.
Moving to the edge of the wire
she calls and gently flaps her wings
capturing the attention of the figure
made of wire.
Plasticine arms instintively
touch the spot where the dormant child
lived in dark solitude.
Both fear, and confusion begin to emanate
off the plastic arms and beautiful wings.
A sense of hope further weakens the wire
fueling the possibility of
wholeness, worthiness, and love.
Can the two become one?
Can the wire and plastic melt
into the flesh of humanness?
The child held down by that
last remaining chain
quietly sighs.
But, something has changed
There is a shift
and both the fearless child butterfly
and the awkwardly graceful plasticine adult
know that it is only a matter of time
before they are transformed and become one.
Like a phoenix, they will sit upon their tiger
let the hot sun melt away even more of yesterday’s pain
and live harmoniously, seamlessly, together as one.
©Alexis Rose, image source: Pixabay
Thank you for reading my books: If I Could Tell You How It Feels, and Untangled, A Story of Resilience, Courage, and Triumph
