you cannot howl like the wolf
fly like a bird
swim like a whale

but you can scream
jump off a mountain
sink deep into the ocean.

The octopus with
rosebud eyes.
Sparklers shooting
through its pores.
A head with an
opening like an iris.
You move each
tentacle against the
wave like it’s a harp.
You threaten to
turn into fish scales.
You stand
on your head.
So when I fly by.
You look like a sea star.
The waves try
not to open you
like an umbrella.
I sit trying
not to throw out
my philosophy
with the bath water.