The Egyptians were right: there’s something
about them. The way their eyes catch the light
and throw it back at us. Something they see
that we do not. We resist them at our peril,
afraid of what they know: that we are nothing
much, until we stoop to meet this need:
arched back arcing against a pantleg,
sinuous grace of muscles remembering
the hunter’s choreography of crouch and leap.
They carry the taste of blood into our living rooms
and lie down sated, unafraid of what they dream.
Di-Verse-City: Founder’s Edition,
Anthology of Austin International Poetry Festival, 2003.
First Place: Christina Sergeyevna Awards.
