I wish I could be like a caterpillar
And spin my own cocoon
That fits perfectly
Holds me tightly
A protective wall
A cocoon
That allows me to change
To become something new
Someone new
But protects me from
the rocks they may throw
and the winds that may blow
But my cocoon seems spun by somebody else
Comfortable and terrifying
A vicarious silk
My passions and hopes and dreams
All I aspire to be
They don’t fit
Seep out the holes and the rips in the fabric
In the soft seams
I cannot become a butterfly
In just their version of beauty
Why do they hurt me
Crumple my growing wings
Splinter my changing bones
Why can’t they love me
And let me grow on my own
A version of beauty
That I truly know
I am a half in between
A mess of threads
Struggling to hold