put me on the tongue of the woods
let it decide
pronounce or swallow
man can have no measure
of me
veins runes in cursive
bones jigsaw riddles
eyes magpie treasure
my pleasure is the groan of river ice
men come fear-striken
and fall through
my displeasure is wildcat scream
breeding haunted air
so take me
to where the woods
opens its mouth let it
kiss and bite blessings into me
suck and spit curses out of me
I will become an utterance in this place
the hissing teeth of its smile
