Dear Carnivore

Once i dreamt that your ankles were bound by my hair
and your arms flailed and your body quaked and convulsed
and you howled expletives beneath yourself to me until you voice grew hoarse
until you could not tremble and ululate any longer
until you became fond of the way i looked dangling from your limbs
until you fell in love with me

once you told me you loved me more that the earth loved the moon
and i asked the earth that night how much he loved the moon
and we watched her for a while, and the earth opened his arms
as wide as they could go and whispered
“this much”
and i kissed you until the moon went down

once i died in my sleep, my fingers gray and my tears frozen
and that same night you died too, and when we came back
i was a bird and you were a beast and I plucked insects from your mane
and scraped food from your teeth
until we died once more and you became gold and i silver

once you told me you were a vegetarian
and i didn’t believe you because you consumed my heart in one bite
and devoured my ears and my toes and my eyelashes
dear carnivore, i miss you.