Think of a spider — the filament
supporting its weight. Think of an orange beak
breaking through a brown shell. Ponder the fibers
of the heart muscle, their tensile strength, ductility.
Imagine a membrane bulging,
fluid burgeoning beneath.

If gravity does not hold too hard,
if buoyant energy prevails,
the cells say, "Try."
The bird pecks, the spider spins, the cell grows,
the heart loves, the ancient motion towards creation,
like a tar bubble in the sun, swells, erupts.

And if a poem arises,
or a black balloon smelling of dinosaurs,
well, what matters is that we each break free
in our own way to wherever it is we are going.

(c) Linda Caldwell Lee, 2006. All rights reserved.

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