category: things that bite by Rebecca Dunlop

category: things that bite

dog as in                                              animal.

                        as in                 thing with the capacity to hurt.

good only when rewarded.                  loyal.             

                                                                                    half feral.

            prone to tracking in dirt.

good at loving.

bad at boundaries.

            liable to make you cry at some point.

…

bug as in           pest                             as in

                                                unwanted thing.

                        flight risk. health risk.                        buzzing reminder

                        nothing is ever as good as it seems.

            overlooked.                 overkill.

                        annoyance.

                        easily forgotten once the venom runs its course.

…

frost as in                                                                    freezing.

                        as in                 lacking in warmth.

            unapproachable.                      unavoidable.

                        associated with feelings of deep sadness and hurt.

            bitter.               best left lonely.

                        sly only in the sense                you don’t expect it to burn.

…

monster as in

                                    daughter.

            as in a thing my mother used to kiss goodnight.

                        abominable combination of her love                   and her dislike         

             and                             my father’s notable silence.              

            locked away in the garage.                            

                                                                        pack a day and a cold one.

            my mother sets the table alone.

                                                                                    i know a peace offering when I see one.

            even if i could swallow my pride                i’d still be too full of guilt.

                        i’ll eat my fingernails instead.

                                                                        i’ll be normal tomorrow.

            sometimes the runt of the litter has the sharpest grip

                        i wear civility like wolf wears sheep

            take me out back to the river

                                                                        but it won’t drown me.

i can bite like the best of them

            adolescent hunger                               bloody gums

                        rip my heart off my sleeve                             

                                                                                                stitch on my baby teeth

            hand out wounds with memories.