Tap tap, it is the waking time,
The long release comes not from me,
I am no chick to crack my shell
but need the midwife’s hands,
tap tapping out emergence with their pain and skill.

Even deep in sleep I held a dream of sky,
Of how I’d shape and lift my head
to my old stardust home
of aeons and aeons ago.

And now I feel the swirl of air, the damp of rain,
I see the moon and sun that rise
and light the sparkle of my back
where I will welcome children
who with their dreams will ride me,
call me by name, and give me soul,
for I am Emily Bear.

Jenny Melmoth