I was born in an crystallized below the temperature cocoon

The one who birthed me made it clear

That I was going to be her supper that night

I had 12 hours and 60 minutes to live

My winged claws were tiny and helpless

I was starving for skin contact and tender meat between my teeth

I knew one thing: I wanted to live

I begged this birth mother

For her heart of stone to turn flesh

I cried as she gulped down before my eyes

A brother here, a sister there

Whenever she came close

I would leave my heart on my sleeve

But she would sniff me and lick me

Anticipating the meal she was about to have

There I was, gasping for breath in the midst of left over bones and flesh and blood of those who came before me

Knowing that death was sweeter than any of this

Until I saw

I was born blind but there I was seeing

something flying

That bird like thing was flying in the sky

Never seen the sky before

But that something was flapping wings in an open space

And then the darkness returned

The bones, the flesh and the blood were still there

I still could smell her

But I had seen freedom

In my blindness, and in this cemetery

Something out there was flapping wings in an open space

Someone in here was about to have me as supper

Starving for love and food;

condemned to death, it was time I chose my way out

With claws and teeth I was going to make it hard for her to have any supper this evening.

I killed her.

All I had left to do was to drag myself out of the cocoon

With whatever breath I had left

drag I did

I earned every inch

I bled for every step

Alll I had to go on was my vision

And that sweet, sweet smell of open space

Where something was flapping wings

That’s when I heard them

Her little ones had been hidden all this time

They were chirping out their fear

I have never been one of them

I should have been their meal

But now I was their mother killer

Apart from their fear, I could smell the open space

I kept dragging myself,

Bits of me left behind and picked up by the little ones

I finally found the opening and put my head out

My mother was the something flapping wings in the open space

I sent to her sounds of my starved up heart and belly

I lifted up to her my hopes for the future

My dreams of open space and open land

The little ones had moved from fear to hunger

I saw my mother, beautiful as a queen coming for me

I was loved

And the little ones were having me for supper

But friend, know this, my mother loved me and I loved her.