Churning sea of goop,
The broth that is left of my body. 
Primordial soup
           That I will emerge from again
The way I decomposed long ago. 
Vulnerable, 
           Even inside the walls I constructed. 
           Walls that protect me,
           Walls that may be my doom. 

I lay in wait,
Waiting for the door to open,
The threshold that I cannot cross,
          Yet. 
Learning patience, something difficult
In this state of mine. 
I long to join my fellow bugs, 
          They who I know are waiting patiently for me, 
          To meet me on the other side. 
Yet, I will find joy in the memories
          I have yet to create, 
And, joy in the knowing;
          Knowing I will never be who I was again.

Hibernating, 
          Slowly stirring, 
          Inching closer to my reassembly, 
When I become a butterfly. 

Chrysalis, Part II

The cocoon began to suffocate me. 
I have finished my rebecoming, 
          The holy creation finally completed. 
Though I fear, 
          Fear to emerge,
          Fear that I waited too long here. 
My self-constructed home has grown too small for me,
          Or, maybe, the other way around. 
The shields I erected have turned into a cell
My armor has begun to stab me. 

I know if I do not leave now I will never be able to
So I emerge. 
          It is a pain never felt before, 
It is a relief unlike any other. 
Feel the breeze graze my wings, 
Notice the weight that was pressing on me 
          only once it is gone. 
Still, I wait for a boot to step on me 
And when none come, 
I am forced to persist. 

It is a fight to continue,
But when I do, 
          I am welcomed by the kaleidoscope.
They wash the stiffness from my joints
and I am motivated to press on. 
          Each step aches
          Every bump stabs me
Yet I would rather be nowhere else,
          Be no one else. 

Mason Stewart is a trans poet local to Ankeny, Iowa. He is a very involved high school student active in many groups including multiple diversity and activism clubs as well as a group for student creatives. Mason shares his work at school-hosted mic nights and he will have multiple pieces published in a school-sponsored literary magazine.