her office is up in a tree
a place of safety
my God she is beautiful
with her spiky dark hair
part saint
and part rodent
(she'd scrinch her face at saint
laugh at the compliment of gerbil, mouse or rat)
she saw something in me so fast
had such trust in my vision
that I doubt her intelligence and judgment
she who is as brilliant as sunshine on water
as sharp as a laser
her deep understanding
that the crazy things brought in
from my self-confinement
words and stories and dreams
trophies and bird pix and
dirty pink ribbon
were neither false nor crazy
that differentness was gift not problem
that it's ok to bloom
whatever it will look like
whatever the timing
brought breath back to body
and swung open the prison door