Year of the Serpent

beginning again 

I shed old skin

writhe, stretch 

breathe deeply in

inch by inch, slither out

turn round, and eye

my abandoned papery haven 

now hideous

empty, irrelevant 

breathe in

my pupils expand

colors brighter—world now luminous—

and I flex fresh muscles, stronger than before

breathe deeply in

unwind my sinewy frame and 

fixate on new terrain ahead:

an animal urge pulling me 

so I breathe deeply in 

though I am still myself

and I will shed my skin again