FEEDING WOLVES

i learned to trust

with my hand

in a dog’s mouth

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flesh surrounded

by fangs and saliva

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i learned safety was not

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pulling the dog’s teeth

one by one by one

to scatter on the floor

like stones

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it was not ripping out

his half-moon claws

to keep in a jar

on the mantle

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or snapping his ribs like sticks

until he learned

to be gentle

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the dog could bite

at any moment

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but i never set that example.