24th of January, 2014

The Egg

The egg -
I can see it from where I sit -
Resting in it's nest.
A steady fire warms it from beneath,
To keep it alive during these cold winter nights.
I make sure the fire keeps burning.
Time seems to pass slowly as I wait.
Is it days or months that have passed?
Hours or seconds?
But it seems there is no change.
Until, eventually, there is a tremor!
An ever so slight shake that gradually gets stronger.
And, slowly,
Slowly,
Cracks begin to form on the shell.
A sharp, golden nose begins to poke it's way out,
And soon, there are two eyes staring at me,
The colour of the evening sky -
A dark, navy colour that looks as though it could hold a thousand stars.
He squeaks happily as I hand him a fish,
Snatching it from my hands,
And wolfing it down in seconds.
After some time has passed
I venture to take him outside -
That first taste of fresh air;
The soft grass;
Chirps of birds -
A whole world to explore.
Adjusting takes time,
But, soon enough,
The wings are spread wide
And he takes the first leap of faith into the air!
There are stumbles at first,
And clumsy mistakes are made,
But patience and practice are what all of us need
If we wish to master any skill.
After what seems no more than a moment
He is flying with grace and with ease -
You wouldn't have thought there was ever a struggle.
In due course, another joins his flight.
She is a shimmering white,
And together,
The gold and the white dance through the breeze,
Falling rapidly and rising softly
As they play on the winds.
They seem to have no other cares than to play and to dance.
I almost fear he will forget me.
And suddenly, they are gone.
Flying off together,
All I can see are their distant silhouettes before they vanish.
With nothing else I can do
I return to my home.
I attempt to resume the dreary life I lead before -
But it's impossible!
My thoughts always return to him,
Though it hurts my heart to remember.
Those days seemed to drag on forever,
Yet, suddenly,
I step outside,
And am met by those same evening eyes -
Those ones I first saw those years ago.
He takes me somewhere far away -
To the place he found with her.
Her sky blues shine,
And I can only assume that mine once looked the same
As I notice a tremor
From something protected by her tail.
I smile,
And I realise what this was all for -
The egg.