This poem by May Blythe is about how an unexpected, unlooked for encounter can bring about a dramatic change in perspective and trajectory. Illustration by Dóra Kisteleki.

I thought I’d built a fine nest,
A place of security,
But I’d forged myself a cage,
Stifled my own liberty.

Each twig carefully chosen,
Defences plaited and twirled,
More and more interwoven,
A shield for me from the world.

For years I was contented,
To dwell above and apart,
I watched Life and lives unfold,
With a distant detached heart.

By chance one day you glimpsed me,
I shrunk from your drawing eyes,
My refuge in the shadows,
Afraid of the boundless skies.

You prised a chink in my walls,
And reached inside with your hand,
You gently coaxed me to you,
My unravelling began.

Now though I am without you,
I soar with the sun and stars,
No longer Life’s spectator,
Joining with joy in her dance.

‘Nest’ by May Blythe featured in The Chance Issue of Popshot Quarterly.

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