Flight and Flight

I am here to pay now

For when I was a woman

And used to read books

I must have drank your words

From the pages you wrote 

And painted  on them 

the sounds of your voice

Without declaring complicity.

You have handed me the book

Where I have found beautiful sketches

So I have bought it from you;

Without authorship rights

And yet wrote within it.

Without fully understanding what was meant

I melted and poured my soul

Like a mist to color its background 

I remember some words

Tasted like champagne 

And their bubbles

Gave me all the oxygen

I needed to rise in the air.

I have since learned to fly

And that if you cannot master the winds

You can at least ride them.

I am now free and at times

hover in circles 

Dancing with currents 

Above this dark lake 

You were harboring in your chest

As you were serving champagne

I have sharpened my sight

In my preparing to hunt

The only thing that is worth

Winning

And even though I am hungry

I need first to quench this thirst 

That burns from within

out and wide through the forest.

I often dive towards the lake

And at times all I manage to take

Is a sip of dark water

Then I push back and take it with me 

And brighten it up in the air

All in the open

Sun or cloud

Please tell me, have I been fair

In paying my debt and doing my work

For the sake of the forest

As the thirsty hawk and the small colibri 

Work together to ease the burden of fire 

 With water brought against current 

And gravity on willful winged winds

To our lake  from the sea.