Inside the Glass Chrysalis

by blackbird12

Published September 21, 2010

Harbored within a teardrop-shaped womb,
my limbs stirring, straining with the thrust of blood,
I begin to unfurl with the throes of rebirth.

I uncoil like a caterpillar
in my cage of glass,
its walls still and skeletal,
delicately veined,
the air thick with lithium,
awaiting the full-throated fear of flight.

I howl—
the sound shatters the shell,
showering me
in broken iridescent teeth,
puncturing me,
the splendor of an open wound,
exposed.

At last the world around me
is no longer translucent,
unclouded by a partition of glass—
a sight so strong it blinds me.

I cling to the shards of my cage:
all that remains of what is familiar—
cowering, a butterfly unprepared for flight,
praying for a reprieve, until
the blood curtains my eyes and
I dip into black, awakening an eon later
to find myself cradled in a new cage,
lulled into the dreamless sleep of the blind.

Comments & reviews · 4
Warrior Princess wrote a review Review · Sep 25, 2010

Wow, I like this. This is really good, really powerful. You're imagery was brilliant, your description lovely--well, I think RhaniGrace sums it up pretty well. It made me think of the song "Rebirthing" by Skillet, one of my favorite songs of all time. And I realize this is a really lame review because all I'm saying is "I loved it," but I can't really help that because I did love it. Wonderful job! :)

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RhaniGrace
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RhaniGrace commented Comment · Sep 24, 2010

This is amazing, frightening and beautiful. You've captured birth, fear and life perfectly and you're descriptions create a fantastic imagery when read. just beautiful.

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inkwell
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inkwell wrote a review Review · Sep 21, 2010

Wow! This poem's descriptive language is devastatingly powerful! The theme is very well portrayed and SHOWN not just told. I love your word choice, it really had me reading and forced my attention the whole way through. It really is hard to pick one favorite line. The whole thing is simply arresting and dark/mysterious. Very cool. *Follow* *Like*

EDIT: Just wanted to add that I really appreciate the polished presentation. No errors as far as I can tell. :)



sweet mother of asparagus
— GengarIsBestBoy