Transformations

 (For Cikki. And Martin)

With awe and trembling

she pushes against that fine line

between being and living

and replaces the cardboard-box constraints

with wide open spaces

of a heart-thrilling wilderness

she has dreamed of (unknowingly)

all her life:

tall grasses leaning heavy

with fresh morning dew,

broad-leafed bushes

with inviting shades,

and spidery groves echoing

with mysterious nocturnal calls.

Once she steps, first gingerly

then resolutely, out of

the known dimensions

into the endless universe

no force can stop her,

and like a summer cloud

transforming into a mighty fortress
(buttressed with love),

she sails free and unbound

with nothing in her way.

No predators now,

no diving birds of prey.