Improbable

My mother is a lobster, my father a bear

My sister a nymph 

and my brother is a warrior.

I can tell you what I believe but

it doesn’t really matter.

My mother has claws, giant and throbbing

she thrashes underwater,

soaks in the sun. 

She curls eggs under her tail

uses antennae to find her way-

She will not be caught in your net.

My father sleeps through winter.

His heart beat slows, 

he counts what he has collected

making sure he has enough - 

his storage is full.

His growl stuns those he encounters

and they fight him

but he fights back harder.

They don’t know his strength. 

They don’t know his power.

My sister sings through nature -

combing her hair on bristling materials, through her fingers,

she finds herself where no one looks.

You walk through forests with your eyes glued shut,

she’ll guide you through your foolishness.

My brother has an axe that could

bring nations to their knees.

A cry that holds no mercy.

He knows how to break apart a body in twelve different ways.

He has learned the art of war.

He has learned what it is for.

I am a dragon.

I have spikes running down my spine,

scales dripping off my skin 

warning of my loyalty.

I will protect the princess,

I will burn the rest -

you are not my keeper.

We all have a choice between seeing the world 

as it is, or learning how to find

the one we need.