Don’t let their newfound weight
sink your shoulders
or snake your spine.
Pinch your shoulder blades together,
flatten your back, center
inside a feathered frame.
Don’t be ashamed—only
the ones who were meant to
will notice. The rest will look
through you, as always, seeing only
their own need. Brush them gently
with your wings and they will remember
something halcyon and gone,
pushing past you.
Once, you, too, sleepwalked
through your life: Forgive them.
As for flying, practice standing tall,
for now, wings fully spread,
like a weight lifter holding a stance.
More instructions to follow.
