I grow

I wrote this poem on my lunch break at work in six minutes. I’ve turned it around in my brain for a few weeks afterwards, but here it is, almost completely unedited.

I grow scales, hooks
Talons and claws
Painful, gnarly scars
Blood-stained fangs
I survive

I grow anger, will
Anxieties and coping mechanisms
The ability to speak
My opinionated mind
I fight

I grow wings, wandering legs
Lines around my eyes
Laughter from my throat
A voracious heart
I live