She Was

When she was home
She was a swan
When she was out she was a tiger
And a tiger in the wild is not tied to anyone

When she was lost
She was a toad
The day I found her on the road
I gave her water and a rose
And as she stretched
The Sun rose

Go
Go
Go away

When she was young
She was a cow
And all day long
She milked the stars
She taught me
Women to survive
Must be unfaithful to their child
Of all the wonders of the world
She was a lady with a bird
She must have had so many lives
Was it the fi rst?
Was it the last?

Go
Go
Go away

When she was ill
She was a whale
She was so patient she would wait
Until I sang her by the lane
The sweetest tunes to ease her pain

When she was old
She was an owl
I saw her swaying in the sky
And when she died inside my arms
I realised she was a cat

Go
Go
Go away

Sometimes I wonder
If my child
Will have her eyes

To see through me

And when I die
And I am born again
What will I be
A cat?
A stone?
A tree?