Initiation
i.
i wake in the night-
to the hot wind like an arrow through
the open flaps of the tent,
tasting of pine sap and smoke,
to the hand on my shoulder
to my turn on watch- no, to be led
out into the trees.
to abandon the cradle of my cot
she pulls the cloth taut over my eyes
and the darkness is lost beneath a second darkness.
she holds my hand as we walk.
ii.
sharp and bitter, in fear-sweat
the arching branches of my mind
like a bird spreading its wings.
i open my mouth to let him in
to hold ourselves in place.
to obey, to make myself a second skin
to writhe in the warm earth.
to seek other beds
and i do not resist. i dream of nothing,
and again he is my shadow.
i can smell fire, just out of reach.
page revision: 2, last edited: 09 Apr 2025 04:20