MOLTING

MOLT (/mōlt/) verb

shedding of the skin,

shell, hair, or plumage to lead

the way for new growth.

I've lived multiple lives across several streams and creeks. My dad made sure of that.

He taught me how to step quietly when approaching the water's edge to not scare the fish with your shadow, how to trace the croak of a bullfrog to its source before it leaps, and how to catch crawfish. This poem, which appears in my debut poetry collection, INSTARS, documents me passing that knowledge down to two other kids. Some secrets are better kept than shared, and yet, we are always shedding pieces of ourselves, knowledge and memories.