I slept in the comfort of my egg
While you kept me safe and warm
I knew nothing then of danger
Or what it meant to weather a storm
But the egg and innocence are fragile
And slowly I emerged to see your face
You nurtured me just as you had before
And our nest was a wonderful place
I watched with young eyes your cruelty to her
But never imagined it could be used on me
Then I heard you scream terrifying threats at him
And I realized what a cage a nest can be
You didn't care when pieces of the nest broke off
She was long gone; you soon drove him away, too
Time passed and you kept visiting that filthy pond
And one day you tried to drag me there with you
So in fear I fled from your sharp, stinging claws
Flying awkwardly through miles of freezing rain
Then I began to discover the strength in my heart
And with help I learned how to fight back against pain
Nightmares and new kinds of vultures still plague me
But at least now I'm far away from your evil
They say you've become a pitiful, ragged crow
But I want you to know I'm growing into an eagle
***
This poem is about my childhood and my relationship with my mother. Months after I wrote this, my mother became ill and died. My poem titled "Tears For Buried Hope" is sort of a sequel to this one.
