Young and innocent,
I feast on false security, naivety, and youthful optimism.
I grow fat on the sheltering leaves
and when those are gone, I build up sinuous walls
wrought from flesh, the backbone of my being.
Protected from the elements
I slumber in peaceful ignorance as time passes.
That peace is short-lived.
Soon the earthquakes come,
My glass house is rattled and tossed as the rain beats relentless,
The lightning and thunder threaten to tear the earth apart piece by piece;
And then, silence.
The clouds pass and the walls of my sanctuary begin to glow.
I look about with growing panic as the rose-colored walls begin to crack,
Harsh light blinds and burns as it floods every corner of my self-made safe haven.
I drag myself from the wreckage of my old life
And looking around realize I have two options.
I can stay out here and find some use for these dark folds, sprung from my back
Or I can climb again into the shattered pieces and try to rebuild those precious walls.
Suppose I did manage to shield myself once more?
I could settle again into the darkness of my own making;
I could stay here until that darkness takes over and I slip into eternal sleep.
The world beckons my heart.
My destiny whispers to my mind,
Screams to my soul. I am not to give up
Before I have traveled my 3,000 miles.
So, as the clouds gather once again,
I face the thunder and spread my wings.
