I'm
a slippery
little otter
          under your
             melting hands
              flipping 'round
        my wet dark tail
as you make of me demands
your requests
             get me hot
make me swirl and twirl
                             and purr
as if I am of cat family,
not salt-licked sea baby
all wrapped in
           squelching fur
Now I am running
through forest        
        achingly free
        and brazen-bold
my mind in present moment
a lightness in my soul
doing what it takes
to survive
in this world of coldness harsh
indelibly finding my way
back to my hidden
          backwater marsh
for my hearth is  lilting sea
                  my kin made of
                            flipper and bone
                           my inner wild
             sings primal melody
as I leap into
what I call home
for after the rough and tumble
and inhalation of ocean's scent
after the kelp is all digested
I will place my head
          upon your chest
and breathe deep in rhythmic  
ebbs and tides
as my sleekness
enters your soul's portal,
                 your quiet fire of spark
this is where I can nestle,
                    contour-deep
in the glow of
your flickering
                    heart