ON THE BIRTH OF WILD THINGS

iii


from the wall the mossy head of John the Baptist
half pan and three fourths devil leers down at me and
says, you ought to know by now there is no safety in love
i was born when Herod chopped off my head
that was the death of a wild thing
and with tendrils like rings and roots like
claws my body went down and down, twisting through the earth
and i picked my head up and laughed
you better laugh too
when Salome's axe comes for you
and this is the kiss of wild things
a fire on your face
and this is the love of wild things
a burning embrace
and this is the baptism of wild things
wind and fire
and this is the birth of wild things
and you are the wild thing whenever you let
my arms, like corded wood seize you
and dunk you and dunk you
until drunk with the jordan you gasp and reel
and start over again, laughing with beginning
this is repentance
this is all it ever was