“The kill of the wolf is the meat of the wolf:/ he may do what he will.”
— “Wolf Centos” by Simone Muench [Sarabande Books]
The morning after, he’s aware of red,
Five knuckles glazed with dried blood — probably
That fellow jogging. Bald. Imagine that.
Exhaling, savagery is shorn of fuss.
His heart no longer throbbing, extra teeth
Absorbed by his accommodating jaw,
Damp chest hair curling normally
In sweaty alphabets, he stands upright,
Embalming the night’s pleasures, shame withheld —
As all shape-shifter must react. Regrets
Rest with the moon, whose puppet he’s become.
About the Author
Native New Yorker and award-winner, LindaAnn LoSchiavo is a member of British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and The Dramatists Guild. Titles published in 2024: “Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems” [Wild Ink], “Apprenticed to the Night” [UniVerse Press], and “Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide” [Ukiyoto]. Forthcoming: “Cancer Courts My Mother” [Prolific Pulse Press, 2025]. Book Accolades earned: Elgin Award for “A Route Obscure and Lonely” and Chrysalis BREW Project’s Award for Excellence for “Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems.”
