Scream, throw yourself to ***** cement
take off your shoes
you want to pull away strips of skin
to reveal what’s really just
lonely little pieces of people you’ve tried on like hides.
You are two parts animal
paw at tree trunks
marking territory, yours all
yours.
Pull up dandelions,
look around for the killer
Paws trembling, sending shockwaves
through cracked dirt.

Laugh, throw your head in my lap
take off your shoes, braid my hair
We walk down south main and
you want to give all your money to a homeless man
you know he
could just as easily be you.
Torn pants, clinging to a cigarette pack like a lifeboat
No, you only want to be a vagabond on the stage
fling your voice to the crowd, keep their gaze.
dance with your arms outspread, yours all
yours.
make love with a glance,
sway your hips to reveal
hibiscus from your palms, the sort of deep
red  I can almost taste.

Bite your tongue until it bleeds
clench your brow, run bare foot
through paths winding like scars.
Lick your lip, looking for traces of sea salt
find it there, smile like there’s nothing better
than bittersweet

Know that when the dust settles
I will sit with you
and watch
the animal teach the boy
how to survive in the wild.