Little By Little Poem by Phanice Malova

by PNM

Little by little, the snail in me stirred,
slow, sluggish—but still, a sail.
Creeping from the pod, the kangaroo's pouch,
frail and afraid, in and out
of my mother's embrace—just then, though.

Little by little, this snail emerged,
shedding its shell, step by step.
Little by little, I let go of the bed,
traded warmth for the wrinkled arms of grannies,
where pods and arrows shaped my world.

Later—a little bit later—
I fed myself, clumsy hands, a messy feast,
but that, too, was a sail.
Little by little, I fed on life,
and now, a miracle—I am learning to live.

Shaken by tremors the elephant brought—
but even that is a sail.
I met the elephant, felt its weight,
so little by little, I learned to move
with the tremor, to sway but not break.

Little by little, frail, sluggish, like a snail,
I am learning to move,
learning to live.