Metamorphosis
If I can shape-change myself if I can
reassemble the rubble of my vision
so I can re-see
dragonflies, apocalypses, trivia
if I can have new taste-buds
to suit my re-embodied self
and graze on a fresh diet
of sweet euphoria and bitter disappointment
if I can have my ears sharpened
for the music of the spheres
and the hubris of storms
human and inhuman
if I can turn turncoat
on myself
sacrifice the hatchling I grew from
with relief and regret
if I can pick my despair off the floor
and pin it near my heart
obscure and familiar
if I can believe in metamorphosis
if I can moult out of my fears
unshackle my serenity
frailer than a new-born
yet sturdier than ever
if I can alter my ecology
exchange the surface waters
for the deep ocean floor
if I can be eternally adaptable
Judith Wilkinson is a British poet and translator, living in the Netherlands. She has won many awards for her work, including the Popescu Prize. Wilkinson has written three collections of her own poetry, published by Shoestring Press, the most recent one being In Desert (2022). Her website can be visited at www.judithwilkinson.net.