Animals
by definition,
action,
impulse�

Tenderly,
I lick your wounds,
warm you,
shelter you.

Savagely,
I would devour
any threat to those
who share my cave.

Secretly,
my dreams fly
across the flatlands
swift,
empowered,
and sink teeth
into the shadows
that haunt me.

My mind steps
like a scholar.

My spirit stalks
like a fiery-eyed beast
hungry,
bitten,
and bleeding.