If I Were Made of Paper

If I were made of paper,
I’d ripple like waves in the sea.
My edges as sharp as secrets,
Folding tight with mystery.

I’d whistle through each chapter,
Lines etched by age and time.
Some worn with blurred impressions,
Some set in steady rhyme.

If I were made of paper,
I’d fold into passing dreams.
A swan, a crane, a frog, a plane,
Or a boat down silver streams.

Each crease a breath, a quiet song,
Tracing paths of moments seen.
Lines that stretch so far and long,
Holding the places I have been.

I may be crinkled, I may torn,
And lost my pure white glow.
My stains are what the world might see,
But they’re the marks that help me grow.

If I were made of paper,
Maybe then you’d see.
I’m far from perfect, far from clean,
But every flaw belongs to me.