Unborn and unknown
undone and ungrown
I kicked at the womb
clawed at the amniotic sac
‘til one day
of its own accord
it relaxed
the tunnel opened,
the cord around my neck
slacked
and in a sigh of overdue relief
I was freed
to be separate me.

“Where have you been all this time?”
they asked.
“Fixing things
that couldn’t be fixed”
(my wry comeback)
“Repairing things
that weren’t broken”.
Truth long unspoken:
I thought I was a firefighter
instead of a firefly
because those closest to me
lied.

I finally got fucking serious
about my life
now that I feel
its worth.
No more
arms holding scales
No more
eyes covered by scales
No more
soothing the frightened egos
of ghostly men or
shouting into gaping holes
that never whisper back
nor filling leaky pots
with fatal cracks.

The cord is cut
I’m breathing on my own
I finally see,
and I’m not alone.

© S. Rinderle, August 2023