The Swan

Hello, again. It's been many moons since you've heard from me.

I began as a duckling 

Small, frail, 

Pale, and ugly. 

Writhing, grasping at straws�"

Any that gave me the ticket to stay above water.

Breathing. Savoring every morsel as if it would be my last. 

In many cases it was. 

Life was unkind. 

A cruel mistress that I find myself beholden to, even now.

Then my gaze matched another. 

Suddenly, I grew up. 

Girl to woman. 

I was now a swan. 

I could swim. 

I not only could swim. 

I could hunt. I could run. I could even fly. 

Oftentimes, we did it together. 

But never above the clouds. That would have been too high. 

But it was wonderful. 

To look down at the ground and see blades of grass blur together in an indistinguishable tapestry of green. 

To follow the path of the brook, but not the stride of the water. You couldn’t see it from up there. 

Of course, there’s always the need to stay vigilant. 

You might get shot down. 

One day, you were. 

Never the same, again. 

It would never be. 

So I did what swans do. 

When the one and only makes its grand exit, so do you. 

I flew way up above the clouds. 

I flapped my wings until I couldn’t anymore. 

The wind gave out beneath me. 

Down I fell.

And there, I met you.