bear
I order a bundle of Czech beads online and patiently await its arrival. Thumbing them each and noting their color.
I dream of a bear mother and three or maybe four cubs. Nesting in my front lawn.
The bear shape-shifts, into a slavic woman. She’s drawing herself a bath, adding bags of tea. Different bundles, all containing marigold.
My partner and I both have a bit of Czech ancestry. A fondness for cabbage, brow sweat, chests tanned by the sun, thick leg hair.
Shapeshifting is welcome here, in the lawn and in the bath. Especially in the kitchen.
The hummingbird outside my window reminds me to clean the feeder and refill with nectar. I spill it on the ground and it splatters over my feet and ankles. My partner notices the orange stains later, lasting even after a shower, and I choose to keep it a mystery.
