she'll hurt you.
she wants to love you
but when you wrap
your arm around her
it feels so much like
a mountain lion
readying for the final slash.
dear boy
did your mother never tell you
that a girl
is not a songbird
you cannot place her
in a cage
and wait for singing.
(all you'll hear is screaming.
blood-curdling, throat-burning screeching.)
she is a wild thing
did your mother never tell you
that mustangs
only trust
other mustangs.
you chased her down
you separated her from the herd
from where she ran free
with the rain on her back
under deep, unending skies
and you wanted her to love you?
(you must understand
that when you clench you hand
around a rope
before you open it to her
she will run
because it was what
she was made to do.)
men can be reckless with
their hearts and their guns
but she cannot;
one wrong footfall, one wrong love
will be the end of her.
you will be the end of her;
you will be the end of the west.
YOU ARE READING
Meet Me in the Woods
Poetryassorted poetry inspired by nature, family and the life of a person who spends far too much time in her head. (sexuality, death and decay are alluded to or directly addressed in some of my poems. these poems are marked by "*" in the chapter title.) ...
