why was it my responsibility?

butterflies floating around my head, 

i am encased in a lepidopteran halo. 

sometimes, 

i wish i had silk-like wings to flutter 

and drift through open air 

without a care. 

could you imagine how 

ethereal it would be to 

wrap your body up in 

extensions of yourself? 

i think 

if i had been able to find sanctuary 

within a built-in blanket of my own 

anatomy, i might have been better 

at protecting my younger self. 

but then again, 

why was it my responsibility 

to keep myself safe when i was little? 

why was i told 

to fend for myself when 

i didn't have the tools to do so?

☽