I was born a bear
I carve my body ruthless
with my serrated claws
I juice my heart
with blood and tendon
I taste like opposing
truths; tongue my honey-
metal, cherry-dirt
Pieces of me fall
away like rose petals
Underneath my fur
brown as daytime
my scalpel paws search
for the true outlines
of my body; where do I
begin? Where does bear
end? I finish cutting,
remove the bear suit,
step into the moonlight
and howl—my wolfy
muzzle shimmers
under moonbeam
bonfire; I still have a tail
and no thumbs—I bet
the forest folk figured
I’d be human
But I had different plans
Bodies are bodies,
we sew them into
our minds like stories,
let them fertilize, ferment,
foment vinegar fever dreams
I work like the caterpillar
to the chrysalis: I am
nothing you haven’t
seen before; I climb
down my tower so you
can climb down yours