Wolf's Tooth

O I have put my hand on the wolf's tooth
hidden among green parasols and whorled towers
of purple and white. O scorpion bedded upon agates,
stonefish at the gate of a jewelled coral castle.
Venom at the heart of the gaudiest blooms,
poppy blowing sleep into the sultry air.

Now the howls of the black dog pull the edge
of evening over the city like a velvet painting
of Elvis in a suit of lights. Now three-legged cats
with angular bodies stalk the top of the fence.
Gull and crow negotiate meticulous division
of a dead squirrel. A sacrifice is exacted.

The wolf licks my blood from his lips and grins.
I use his tongue to warn the cats away.
Spangled velvet shadows full of poison glide
before us and toss their heads like giant bulls
scenting the arena. Diamond scales glitter
at my bitten wrists, streetlamp bracelets.

Have you seen me?

Look again where the oak roots have lifted
the sidewalks away from the blind earth. Worms
flee the drought into deep soil. If there is
brightness there it may be the sun glinting on
the teeth of my companion.

Collection available! Knocking from Inside