J. V. Birch
In t-shirts & shorts
he’s covered in hair he can’t shake.
It ripples his skin
like it’s caught on something
creeping in the dark.
He feels the teeth in his head
the growl in his throat
the moon rising to rip out his heart.
The girl sat next to him smiles.
He doesn’t return it
notes the pulse in her neck
can almost taste what moves there.
His bones start to sing
***
J V Birch lives in Adelaide. Her poems have been published in anthologies, journals and magazines across Australia, the UK, Canada and the US. She has three chapbooks and a full-length collection with Ginninderra Press, and blogs at www.jvbirch.com