Doghood,
Where sacrifice is the most blessed architect of all,
And their antler ballet is excruciatingly beautiful,
Tearing the sky wide apart,
Even they are not spared the hunt,
And I endure the piercing that cleans me,
Retinas veiled with lace and dressed in clear water,
With hair in my face, I am rested and seen,
And I lay still while faith kneels,
To be embraced by tradition,
I struggle to keep my bark castled,
As the wind threads the brown fur,
And rushes through my body and ribs,
It empties the woods through me,
Past the river’s stretch,
In the ravine where sight softens,
Between the silver birch and a thirsting deer,
I am a dog willed to bear,
and I will keep what I was given.
Manhood.