Discovering

(A poem by Sal Godoij.)

I did not know who I was or where I was

Everything was dark around me, but I felt warm and well-fed

Then something happened

I had the urge to breathe and sought an exit to my world

And lo and behold, I was in a nest,

“You are a bird.” My mother told me.

“What kind of bird am I?

“It doesn’t matter. You’re a bird like any other bird.”

“Am I a male or a female?”

“It doesn’t matter. You will do what you have to do. Life will guide you.”

“You are guiding me, mother.”

“Until a certain point only. Now open your wings and practice how to fly.”

“I’m too high up, mother. I am afraid of falling.”

“We’re all afraid of falling, but you won’t fall if you believe in your wings.”

And so, I believed in my wings, and now I am flying

Flying away from the nest.

Will I come back to it one day after exploring the sky?

Will I come back to the nest where I was born?

I don’t know

What I know is that I’m not afraid anymore

For I trust my wings, and I follow the wind

I follow the wind, and I trust it

I trust the wind, which is my life.