Metamorphosis

I
a firefly dims and crumbles
in your calloused hands
a fragile life you can’t grasp
Wrap me in bandages before you touch me

II
spider-sewn silk spins
broken by the wind reflecting
a color spectrum
Weave me into light until I melt

III
melted skeletons
in woven cocoons dangle
from a curved spine
Bind me tightly in a blanket and pray I'll come out a beauty

IV
tender leaves
stained with chlorophyll
cast quivering silhouettes
If you think I'm too dark soak me in bleach and I'll turn green

V
hollow knots on the old oak
hold torn termite
wings from the last migration
Blow against my skin and I'll sway for you

VI
marigolds mate in the air
and bloom into fire
yellow powder settles on eyelashes
Your cigarette smoke stirs in my elastic lungs

VII
the cries of birds with expanding chests
echo against the windows framed
with weather worn wood
Yell into my deaf ear to leave a message

VIII
armored emerald beetles
encased in sap
drip down blistering bark
Peel back my skin and find an empty frame

IX
cicadas crawl out of shells
scattered around tree roots
reborn again with damp wings
I can't recycle my body

X
press flower petals to your lips
to taste the earth
where you did not emerge from
Bury me in the soil of decayed leaves