Bud-eyed. Pin-shellled.

One eye leaves the face and settles in an unripe bud that

covers it, as if the gaze needs time to bloom. A wide

stem slowly descends through the body, unfolding layers of color and texture.

A wing, sprouting directly from the chest, gently touches the stem. It is no

longer a wing and not yet hands – only a gesture that protects its own sprouting.

Where the body transitions into hips, shells are born. From them grow

sharp-toed stilettos with bright red soles – not as

footwear, but as an extension of balance.

A portrait of a creature that allowed its gaze to change place so that the body could learn to bloom.