Caterpillar

I had lost myself
and my flesh had failed
to shelter this forgetting.

Inside my heart
a tiny egg began to hatch
birthing a tiny caterpillar.

It was no small thing,
since caterpillars are very particular
about the heart soil they need.

This soil was cracked
with grief and sorrows
and the caterpillar thrived.

I learned from her
about my heart
how fickle and fragile it was,

And yet how it nurtures
without ever depleting
without ever complaining.

I became fond of my caterpillar
the many skins she shed
to grow and grow.

The soles of her many feet
softened my heart in their throb
till it became moist.

Then, one day,
she weaved herself into a hole
and disappeared.

My heart broke open
and a butterfly emerged whispering:
"I have found myself".