Wooly Eyes

You are born bright-eyed
Wide-eyed, white
Pink bubbles, crimson trails
You open your eyes, white light

You cry, exhausted, tumbling,
Your mother's soft fur fumbling
Swollen, nervous. You survived
And now you're alive.

It's raining
Your step is toothless
Your bite untrained

You nibble on the lime green buds
Then chew the darker leaves below
You wander into the full-mooned night
Four limbs, warm, everything is alright.

Everything here is embossed with touch
You grow older, stronger is your clutch
You fall in love
Pregnant with the future, blessings from above

You love the earth, the dark cool
They remind you of the inside of your mother's belly
But you never liked water, it reminds you of the rain and your mewl.

Seasons change, its warmer now
You're ready for the new
Your wool is shaven, you are reborn
You can't change your life till you change your hair

At first you hide, then you come out to play
Swimming in heaps of hay
Childhood again, the games we used to play
It felt just like the other day

You are piles and piles of wool, let it not burn
In your joy you bring warmth, a flowing lantern
And a story of a wide-eyed, white, Return.

Text and images: Wooly Eyes
Images taken at Raj Overseas Factory, Panipat