Drinking Milk from Poison
by
Radiance Angelina Petro

The old man steps from the revolving cave
and goes down to the lake, where he bathes
and turns into a swan.

The little boy in the egg with wings listens
to the night sounds, and fades back to sleep
for a thousand years.

Ravidas made shoes, Guru Nanak tended a farm
in Kartarpur, Kabir wove shirts, and Mirabai–she
spun out of control into the streets shouting her longing.

Radiance, sometimes you feel like a butterfly
turning back into a caterpillar, but Charan drinks milk
from poison and offers you a glass.

Your job is to stop shouting: “Look at me! I have
an arrow in my leg!” and get back to singing.
Your wound is only part of who you are.