"Lost Ones" Fedora Cox

"Lost Ones"

Tell me about a dream where the praying mantis viciously feeds on the live body of its mate, In honor of its young who will inevitably fall victim to a similar fate. How we trade: a pebble for a pearl; cotton for silk; a bar of soap for a bar of gold, Tell me it’s okay, a trade is a trade, reassure me that this never grows old. Mother shrieks as baby’s new teeth mischievously bites down on her sensitive nipple, She bares the pain with a smile and gently wipes away baby’s dribble. Tell me how one can bare the stench of morning breath that stinks so badly of rotten meat, Yet is greeted by a welcoming smile and provides a place of retreat. How in greed, arrogance and a desire for worldly pleasure, he leaves and considers no one, Return! Return! oh Prodigal Son. Return! Return! No harm is done! Look at the light it will surely guide your path, please know that you are never alone, Tell me of your miseries and of your experiences as you journeyed home. Is it a curse or a blessing in disguise? Or is it just one of nature’s lies? Tell me, oh tell me, I really need to know, How this heart within this cage continues to grow?

Drawing by Kate McGorry