Metamorphosis

Somewhere on this road of life,
somewhere on this paved, clean, bright street,
on this harsh Matterhorn,
on this forest path, all tangled, all wild,
I stumbled over a stone, or a root, or a step.
I fell hard, from these stilts of illusions.
I lost my smile among dying leaves.
Down on my knees, I am delving for it.
I can’t tell them apart, my red smile, these red leaves.
I find only ants, and earth worms, and slugs.
How fine they look, even in my misery.
I am a hedgehog now, beware, I prickle, I hide.
Not for long,
not for long.

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