Mom says I entered the world blue     unmoving like a cracked starling egg     I entered the world without a sound     though Mom says she saw the noise    

Each time we drive past the hospital    I am reminded of how much it cost     to keep me here     I think     my parents want their money back     I think     I want to stop being blue
    
Last summer Mom cried when she saw it:     a baby robin     fallen from its nest,     still pink and fleshy — not blue, still moving — and it cried for her   I could barely hear it     but Mom saw the noise     She listened for a moment more     then smiled    
Something inside me went cold     as we walked away to the sound of eggshells     cracking