they don’t like it when you growl
teeth glinting in the moonlight
they don’t like to be reminded of their place
because humans think themselves predator rather than prey
they don’t like being made to tremble
at the sound of a distant howl
they don’t like cowering in their homes after sunset
you don’t care what they like though
because they seem to like you just fine
when you walk in human skin
as if you’re safe to be around
just because the moon isn’t quite full
Tag: Dandelion Girls
appears in “Dandelion Girls and Other Mythical Creatures”
siren’s song [poem]
do you hear the insistent rhythm of my heartbeat drum
or the melody of my breath?
do you feel it crawling under your skin
like the ink of a new tattoo
a permanent mark in the making?
do you worry
wonder if this siren song is just a trap plainly seen
or a clever ruse to distract you?
do you see it?
everything you need is reflected
on the surface of the waters
waiting
for you to reach in and
succumb to the lure of the ocean
an underworld spirit [poem]
I’ve come to realize that I’m both
an old soul in a young body and
a new soul just learning how to be alive
meaning there are times
when the only people I relate to
are those with enough years and experience
to be my grandparents
sometimes I’m incredibly confused
by the choices my peers make
because nothing seems thought through at all
but other times
I’m exuberant with my joy for each moment
each breath a gasp of delight
cheeks aching with a permanent smile
or sometimes I don’t understand
why we can’t all just get along and be happy
it seems so simple
this is the life of an underworld spirit
forever teetering between wise and naive
true names [poem]
to know a name is to hold power
but true names are hard to learn
I mean
it’s like a child trying to understand physics
there are bits and pieces explainable in ways that
anyone could comprehend
but the bigger concepts are impossibly complex
so too is my true name
it’s more than just a sound passing through your lips
it’s the scent of rain after a long dry spell
the sepia tones cast over everything by sunglasses
the sharp bite of a lemon wedge
the relief of a well tucked blanket in winter
my true name is an experience
just like me
reincarnation [poem]
I was buried in the dry clay that is so much of Texas
my blood and bones decomposed into dirt
my last breath stirring dust into the air
I’ve never been so happy to die again
to give up a life in order to be reborn over
and over
this soul fueled by the cycle of change
I’ve passed away
left pieces of myself in every place I called home
because that’s what reincarnation requires
the letting go and
the starting over again
involuntary nomad [poem]
I’ve always claimed my early life as that of
an involuntary nomad
my home always a temporary shelter
between shifting points on a map
I thought I hated it
moving away and losing touch with friends
and never having anything permanent of my own
but now
I can’t help but wonder if it’s in my blood
to wander
to pull up my own roots
before they dig too deep into familiar soil
maybe it’s me
deciding not to stay
not to become a local
I almost did it
once
but even the comfort of
a chosen family of friends and
streets memorized like my own name
couldn’t keep me when times got tough
I ran to ancestral lands along the coast
and now we’ll see
if I’ve always been an itchy footed traveler
or if maybe I’ve just been working my way back home
*note: this poem used to include the word “gypsy” and has been updated due to the word’s status as a slur
trust darkness [poem]
the biggest lie I ever heard was that
evil disdains the light
the demons who I’ve crossed paths with
have always been blazing suns of laughter and sin
the devil himself was a beautiful angel
the morning star
this is why you have to trust shadows
those who exist because of
(and in spite of)
all the overwhelming light but are not a part of it
trust darkness to be real and honest
to hold silence as both a comfort and a terror
as needed
the light returns [poem]
the moon is full and I do nothing
smile up at Her face and find solace in the cycle
having depression is like being the moon
your emotions
a cycle of waxing and waning hope
when the moon is new and it’s too dark to see
you just have to remember
that the light returns
it always returns
moonflowers [poem]
we watch flowers bloom in the moonlight
and see the beauty in the shadows
healing is a candle
flickering against the dark recesses of your teacup
drink deeply and feel the warmth
blossom in your core
a Will-full woman [poem]
Sometimes the force of my own Will scares me.
The way it bubbles up, teeming with ravenous purpose
seeking with silent demands my cooperation.
I am just Her host.
She swallows me
down
even as I try to find my footing on the fence
between letting my Will be done
and making people happy.
Why can’t I do both?
Does my iron-rod spine require the melting down of another’s heart?
Does their flesh serve no purpose but as fuel
in the fires of my own forge?
I am a gentle creature,
and I do not harm.
I try not to harm.
I harm,
far more often than I care to admit.
I am blundering toward an eventuality,
a future I see so clearly it could be mistaken for glass.
Each step is a decisive move
made by an indecisive body.
I cannot make myself move any faster,
and yet
I’m already sprinting toward my future
as if pausing for a breath would bleed the Will to live right out of me.
I am running toward Her,
toward a Will-full, wild woman
after spending years clawing my way in the wrong direction.
I am running full of fear,
mind-numbing anxiety streaking down my sweat-drenched spirit.
I am afraid of becoming a strong woman,
a Will-full woman,
a woman who does not bend, nor break.
I am afraid of losing myself
to a woman I’ve always wanted to be.
mundane magic [poem]
magic is the way
heat blossoms through your core when you sip hot cocoa
the warmth filling in your empty places
until you’re full and content with yourself
at least until the cup is empty
magic is the way
reading a good story drags your heart up and down
tumbling left and right after the characters
until they finally find their happy ending
and you find peace in the thought you’ll find one too
magic is the way
it only takes a few minutes of good music
to loosen up your spine
and find tension dripping off your skin with the sweat
your body relaxing into the primal beat
magic is the way
moments can slip by unnoticed
accidental time travel while you’re focusing on unimportant things
instead of enjoying the pumping of your blood
through your own veins
the wolf girl walks in human skin [poem]
hello
is this okay?
I’m not sure if you remember me but
hello
I’m a human
no
really
I promise I’m human this time
I made sure of it
checked the box on the way out
yes
hello?
I used to curl up next to your sleeping body
in that hidden alcove
the cave no one else could see behind those bushes
do you remember it?
you let me eat your scraps and
I led you to the next meal
nose to the ground
paws careful not to make a sound
we were a pack or
a partnership
family of a sort
I kept you safe from the hungry ones
I always kept you safe
hello?
fallen angels [poem]
I had wings once in elementary school
at recess I’d let them unfold
feathers ruffled by the spring breeze
no one questioned them
no one told me to be more human
but still
I’d carefully tuck them back in
when we returned to class
shift myself into something normal
the wings faded away with puberty and
I didn’t miss them once they disappeared
but sometimes
I wonder if the devil fell before or after
forgetting how to fly
Larissa Lee 