Poet Draco Rose uses free-verse to break down their world during a pandemic, taking you on a journey of change and self-evolution.
Metamorphosis by Draco Rose
In the beginning
You were anchored,
But now,
You’re adrift.
The pool of uncertainty
Gently lapped at your sides
As your body shifted
In its smooth waves,
Your core kept warm
By the soft summer sun
As the tide slowly curled
Into your being
Softly lulling you
Into a sense
Of peace.
In the beginning
You were adrift,
But now,
You are lost.
You are no longer floating
Just struggling to survive,
Fighting an ocean
You blindly thought was a pool.
The ripples of uncertainty
Turned to waves of anxiety
As you foolishly pray
To return to your shore.
In the beginning
You were lost,
But now,
You are found.
The rise of the moon
Seems to quell the sea’s anger.
Deep blue mountains
Sinking back
To the tide.
The moon reads your heart
And decides to take mercy
As your weak human legs
Transform to a tail.
In the beginning
You were found,
But now,
You are free.
From Poetic Verse to their Real-World Counterpart.
Stanza One
“In the beginning
You were anchored,
But now,
You’re adrift.”
It was the extended
spring break we
never anticipated.
An extra week off
turned to two, then
three, and for many
of us, that first
month...that disruption
to the norm, was welcomed.
Stanza Three
“In the beginning
You were adrift,
But now,
You are lost.”
Remember that welcome
feeling we had in March?
Well as April rolled into
May, that feeling turned
much more dangerous.
So many people were getting
sick, the isolation was
taking its toll on
society, and George...
Breonna...There aren’t words.
The world broke, and so did we.
Stanza Five
“In the beginning
You were lost,
But now,
You are found.”
Uncomfortability
& accountability
were the themes of
summer. I won't speak
for everyone, but
the sudden attention
to injustice (specifically
racial) and the drive we had
to change, be better,
and mean it...
I can’t say how long this
will last, but for the first
time in a long time, our pain
felt seen.
Stanza Seven
“In the beginning
You were found,
But now,
You are free.”
Here we are in the
early stages of September,
checking racism at the door
while eating cloud bread
on roller skates. Though I wish
The circumstances were different,
I can’t say I’m not thankful for
The change. 2020 has kicked our ass
But one thing is clear.
We’ve outgrown the old world,
I think it’s time we explore a new one.