Ecdysis

I still wore the old skin
Despite it no longer fitting.

It was tight
Heavy
A shape I outgrew long ago
But never knew how to leave

And yet I still wished
I could be seen differently
In the eyes of those
Who stared

For I was unable to tell which made me more
Uncomfortable.

But when you came
I started to peel

Layer by layer

Until what remained
Was raw
New
Mine

For this was not loss.
This was becoming.

And for the first time
In a long time

I could breathe