TWO POEMS by SILAS DENVER MELVIN

when i think of mammals

"The fur-bearing trout (or furry trout) is a legendary creature found in American folklore and Icelandic folklore. According to folklore, the trout has created a thick coat of fur to maintain its body heat."
— Wikipedia PAGE FOR Fur-bearing Trout

she asked me to forget i was an animal.

she asked me take off my robe of velvet,

to step out of the body i was given

the way a snake or arachnid leaves behind

the size of the self that no longer serves it,

& walk beneath the moon completely sterile.

& once, i did.

i listened. i wanted to be

poly-composite, & when recalling it,

i don’t remember why.

maybe the odd beauty of her hand.

the way a face could be painted like a house.

how i wanted to be wanted like nothing else,

so i became less.

---

worm joy

i writhe. i scythe through the air, the hair on my lip

enough now to be felt during a kiss. oh, this worm joy.

this warm spring day with the windows open, opulent

with the smell of sex. the flowers dead, dried, in the kitchen

but still beautiful in their crinkled, purple suits. i know hurt

& i choose this. i choose worm joy & name it that. the effort

of the dirt, this old, brown earth that i make work of.

the childlike kick of the legs. the shoulders shrugged tight

then gone loose. i tantrum my delight. i find the hand

& squeeze. i am looked at; i allow the looking.

can you put your ear to the ground & hear me?

can you hear the thrill i hum? can you hear me

accomplishing this

worm joy in the dark,

my body a blind tool

seeking each one

of my tomorrows?

---

silas denver melvin (he/him) is a transsexual poet from New Hampshire and the author of "Grit" (2020). He has been published or is forthcoming with Hominum Journal, Doghouse Press, Antler Velvet, Bleating Thing, and elsewhere. silas currently serves as the head editor of poetry for Beaver Magazine. He can be found on Twitter + Tumblr + Instagram.