baby, I birthed you
despite my best efforts;
your wings clog my gullet,
you flap when I eat.

I munch and I mash down,
but still you stay brittle;
your little bones rattle
between my loose teeth.

when winter is over,
you start to fly somewhere.
you drag my bruised body
behind you like smoke.

my tongue is your beak now.
my body sprouts feathers.

you sing for the first time,

and I start to choke.