I have heard that in the chrysalis the caterpillar turns to goo
Peel the mouth off first
tricky thing that says too much
when it should have said little and little
when it should have said more
scrub it clean and then the hands
with the skin that likes to burn
with water pounding on you rotate
dear rotisserie until what was is gone and red
and raw you pull back the curtain
and step out, new, with wings.
5 thoughts on "I have heard that in the chrysalis the caterpillar turns to goo"
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Ooh the rotisserie image struck me most. You’ve really captured the difficulty of metamorphosis.
the unexpected violence of this draws me in
Arwen!! Nice “spin” on the chrysalis as creation. I am curious, why “little” instead of “less”? Good work on this, like River, I am also drawn to the violence of this becoming, gone and red and raw. Wow. Looking forward to reading more of your work.
Great poem. Love how you open it with commentary that can be taken on how we are flawed and foolish with how we speak.
And that it ends with every word in that exact order in the final line.
Beautiful. That title really hooked me, and the body of the piem delivers on the title’s promise.