Sometimes my shoulders ache

They feel empty and bare

And something longing makes a home in my bones

Tasting of nostalgia and fantasy

I can picture it so vividly

Wind through my hair and on my skin

Caressing me with the care of a mother 

Laughter that tastes 

Of freedom and clouds

The wind catches my feathers

And I relish in the soft tugging 

And in the stretch of the muscles

Small movements sending me

Dipping and diving and swooping

Matching the joy and energy of my heart 

But then I open my eyes again

And my feet are tethered to the rocks beneath 

And I jump and leap and reach

But the clouds stay too far above

Too far for me to reach

Sometimes my shoulders ache

Missing the weight of the wings I wear 

In the most treasured of my dreams