I am woven and outstretched as the bramble of the woods.
Always a nature girl—tomboy tumbling in mud—bruised
knees and blood. I remember slow days, bygone summers
when desire couldn't catch me to claim my undoing. Now
my need is exposed, growing antlers to the sky, bare branched
and wild, reaching toward the light of the moon. My animal
skin takes over and reveals my nature is never as it seems.
I shape-shift from year to year, loosening my birthrights—
the laws of men, no longer my inheritance. I find my way
through roots, moss, and pine, seeking a life that’s mine.