twelve

i found a robin's egg cracked open on the sidewalk

ants carried away the pieces of the shell to

wherever broken things go

the not-quite formed body of the unborn bird lay

on the ground, covered in ants.

i knelt, examining the scene before me as a sadness rippled

through my chest and into my stomach

i wonder if i had fallen when i was twelve

would the ants have carried me off to

wherever broken things go?