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He broke me down
like a cardboard box
and put me out on the cold sidewalk

She came at night
and scooped me up
and brought me to her trash-to-energy plant

I felt so comforted
enclosed and enfolded
in a safe space
with others just like me

Then she began to sort through us
and send us through the doorway

I walked alone
into the radiant umber room
where I felt the heat of my burden

There was only one place to go

Frightened, but trusting, I entered the fire
that consumed me and changed me forever

"Now fly away," she said,
"And go back and face him, renewed."

Lynne Mikulak