Wings Poem by Maya Hanson

I love on wings
but they never last.

All I know is paper feathers
painting angels on my doorstep,
I sweep them up
like they're all I'll ever need,
like the only reason I know how to fly
is because you gave me these wings.

Paper feathers fill my heartbeats,
swirling into nothing
when you mold me into a wave
like the shore is all I've ever wanted

Paper feathers are fitting,
they can stand stronger than me
I'm more fragile than shreds
As you pass they flinch before I even react,
stop beating to hang in midair

There are things you say in
darkness
you would never say in
daylight
so I laugh as the sun goes down

There are things I would do
that I would never even write

As I take these paper feathers
bury them in collateral
I know how fast I'm free falling

I'll leave my heart at the door
and my tongue in your mouth
but when I love
I give them
wings.