Wrong Place, Child

A child arrived just the other day
Was dangled from the ceiling in the usual way
He lowered himself
On a freshly spun thread
And landed in the sink, a porcelain maze
An unreachable world just above
Mother said, "Child, welcome to Earth, my love"

And the water ran
And the daylight came
Little legs skittered far from the drain
He said, "Mother, is this where I stay"
She said, "Wrong place, child, but we'll find a way"

Well he learned real fast how the giants moved
How the cabinet slammed and the faucet spewed
He'd freeze mid-thread
When the towel swung wide
Pressed up against the un climable side
He said, "One day I'll climb up high
Where the air doesn't burn
And the floors stay dry"

And the water came
And the mirror steamed
It tried to pull him down the drain
He said, "Mother, will this change someday"
She said nothing more, just turned away

Some are born where the rafters hold
Dust and dark and quiet cold
Some are born where the drafts don't reach
Not where the white walls close in tight

He dropped one thread
On a silent dawn
When the house was still and the night near gone
But the hiss came soft
And the white mist fell
Over the white enamel curve and the drain's dark well
When the air cleared out
Nothing moved at all
Just a single thread on the bathroom wall