I

some of us have forgotten our wings

	not wings of angels
			majestic, white, barren:
			pure?
		how sad that would be
		what pressure
					:for nothing
		what sacrifice
white robed white winged
	white white white white white
is that good?or right?
	-might is right-
						(yes)


nor wings of devils
			blackened, reeking, batlike, clawed
		ugliness = 
	pure evil(so simple 
   it is
			      but what is ugly/is beautiful
? - the mighty decide)


						(no; not angels nor devils we)

-might is right is beauty-


				?.

II

wings remembered ache painfully
		confined beneath skin and bone and misuse
remembered wings itch twitch yearn
					to fly
		(for the first time or thousandth
it matters not; they remember how
			) it is we who forget.

in forgetting, 				
we stumble about.

in forgetting, 						
we destroy ourselves.


III

-phoenix-
destruction-broken-not whole
and I				
crush my bones to powder
I will rise				
tear eyes from sockets		
to pound into blood wine
I will				
burn myhairmyclothesmyflesh
I will				
til all is dust
will rise				
rise again				
dust to dust
I will rise again			
birth to rebirth
again reborn				
darkly opalescent
I will rise				
from ashes from dust
I will rise				
spread shimmering wings
rise again			
shake off	
the afterbirth of rebirth
rise again reborn			


IV

and again I shall fall.