THE LOVERS of course I want you to see me naked of course you will be naked too our bodies the tideline and the sea the boundary and the breaking you’re such an almost-singing bird such a city sketched in blue tell me what animal i am and feed her stardust for you i drop my antlers this is me without any armor with blood between my legs the moon is 80% chocolate and growing darker and you are shaking blossoms all over me we pull the cards and look at each other a prophecy is about to come true
MY MONSTER SLAYER is deep-keeled, swarthy as hell, so fucking huge he keeps wearing through his leather brigandines. I always snickered at swolness— poor gorillas can’t touch their toes— always fell for sapling boys, but my slayer’s old-growth girth, lightning-split and lichen-fleeced, fills my mouth with sap. Each morning he deadlifts planets, drinks a lake of protein shake, showers in buffalo sweat, but at night he cups me in his palms, trembling with the effort of gentleness. He’d fall to his knees if he crushed me, and the world would fall with him. So then tell me, lover, slayer, which one of us is stronger?
Beeper Peddle is a writer and healer living on the East Coast. She lives with her partner and their beloved soul puppy. Beeper writes about sorrows, lies, and deep loves. When you read her work, you will dip down into her heart and end up in all manner of body parts. Should you find yourself reflected in these words, it is merely coincidence; however, it does not surprise her you share the same heart. Find her at bethpeddle.com and @beeperpeddle on Twitter and Instagram
Rita Feinstein is the author of the poetry chapbook LIFE ON DODGE (Brain Mill Press, 2018). Her stories and poems have appeared in Permafrost, Grist, and Willow Springs, among other publications, and have been nominated for Best of the Net and Best New Poets. She is a graduate of Oregon State University’s MFA program. Find her at her website: https://ritafeinstein.wordpress.com/
