because i’m a mammal

because i’m a mammal
   i leap into the coldest stream
   & still stay warm. i have
   two fierce eyes to pierce the
   infinite plains yet i hunger beyond
earthly satisfaction.

holy beast with bare feet
   to worship the ground & knees
   bent for praying. i have a sense of
   smell & death & can hear stars
   as they sizzle in the center of my
brain.

busiest creature alive, i do not
   know who i am nor where i’m
   going. pains fill my chest with
   emptiness & a yearning to lose
myself.

heart heavy as stone––i
   ask the almighty lonely One
   what to do.

He says,
   just dream

so i dream
   of sleepy summer afternoons
   of furry cuddling &
   of animal love
   when the body
   heats ups & the fur
comes off.