Beneath the awkward rags

Beneath the awkward rags
That hang off the inner child
Like chains of convention
Fashionably disguised with labels
Magic spells
That not only fool the feeble minded
But us, too

Is a congested beauty
A soul with bloody fingernails
And a swollen heart
A child in a cave
Who only remembers the sun

And when they break
Through that cracked mask
Like the sweet song of a chick
Desperate to ruin their shell
Desperate to breathe

Their ugliness endears us
And our ugliness makes them beautiful

e.12.17.2016