Swan in a goldfish bowl
Ship in a bottle
Breathe deeply
She’s a star

Hey look at me
Don’t look at me
Rock hard vulnerability
Touch and I tremble snowflakes

Bird in a limo cage
Angel wings in fetters
Easy grace
Rising above without flying

Hey look at me
Don’t look at me
Po faced incredulity
Touch and you’ll burn.

Copyright A J Phillips 2015

[Published in A Taste for Literature, Belper Writer’s Group Anthology 2010]