First, make a bird. Very well. Its wings gently grasp black. Does it sing to you? Is it trapped
or freed by your hands? Why has it not flown away? Dorsa together, curl the left, fingers
forward, a rabbit appears. Will it survive the winter? Can it elude the slender outline
of a coyote’s jaw? Shape a heart, does its pulse remind you of a hymn? Back to the bird,
will you form it a sky to soar through, a summer to enjoy? Will your pinkies branch
into breeze-kissed leaves so that it may finally rest? Build a house, if I told you it has no locks
do you feel relieved or exposed? A coyote approaches, its teeth glisten obsidian. It knows
your walls are made of nothing but light. Can you create something that is impossible
to hunt? Don’t be afraid, hand up, spread your fingers as wide as possible, look
how you’ve become a star. As if your shadow breaks the universe brighter. It’s here,
slide the palms, thumbs leap, a door bursts open, the coyote springs forward. Feel its teeth
blossom within your flesh, hunger gnawing at your wrists. Are you trembling from fear
or excitement? A rabbit dashes, hot breath sticky on its hind legs. Will you become a river,
a wisp of afternoon air, a column of sunshine for it to escape in? A house begins to creak
as stars fall in the night. A rabbit disappears down a throat the exact length of your forearm.
A coyote howls deliciously. Quickly, weave your fists, close your eyes, is it a plea
or a prayer? Suddenly the coyote writhes into a snake, was that an accident? Poison drips
in cruel shades. Who taught you to lace your soft palms with venom? A bird glances
nervously. A pine tree shivers nestless on a windy arctic plane. Have you lost your house
or gotten lost inside? Goosebumps grow gravestones on a snowy hillside. A rabbit dissolves
in a stomach. Is that not better than starving through the winter? A bird stares blankly
as a snake approaches, its beak remains songless. Why again, has it not flown away?