To the Swallow’s Final Hatchling

by Nico Martinez Nocito

Save me my wings, little daughter.

Fly out upon your gold-tipped feathers and frolic with the sun,

            unrestricted by responsibility.

Never let your wingbeats falter

or carry you within stone and wooden walls.

Fly the way I used to—

            dangerous, unrepentant, all-powerful,

made safe by my speed.

Fly the way I wish I could still fly.

Save me my wings, little daughter.

When your long journey returns you

            to the crooked branch where you were born,

find twigs and straw and soft green things

and make a future for my memory.

Raise your chicks upon this bark

where you saw me last before meeting with the sky.

            I’ve dreamed your way back home again.

Save you your wings, little daughter.

Build your nest so high

they will never see your golden eggs,

            will never force you to grant their wishes.

Never let them clip your feathers

and bind you in a cage the way they bound my mother,

            her healing song discovered and commoditized.

Do not let age draw weakness in your wings

until, when they come for you, you have no strength

            to fly away.

I tell you now, my daughter:

            this cage I’m lost in is a dark and endless one.

            I welcome every time my birdsong falters,

            heralding the most natural of escapes.

            My only comfort is your freedom:

                        the knowledge that, with me possessed,

                        they will not yet hunt you down.

I would sacrifice my sky-high views for you

ten thousand times again

but my wings will only beat so long.

Tonight, or some night soon,

I’ll dream my way back home again.

Save you your wings, little daughter,

            and one day,

save your daughter’s wings, too.

Nico Martinez Nocito (they/them) writes speculative fiction and poetry with a queer, feminist bent. Their work has been published by Strange Horizons, Worlds of Possibility, and Flame Tree Press, and has been nominated for the Rhysling Award. They spend their free time running, acting in local theater productions, and researching speculative poetry forms. Learn more about Nico and their writing on Bluesky and Instagram @nicowritesbooks, or on their website, nicomartineznocito.com.