Wild Animals

Nathan Holloway

as children we know safety 

in numbers, lean

in to the pack, or 

be consumed

That could be why it hurts, growing 

queer in the South.

who will huddle with us, lap

at our wounds, clean

our fur of its mites, call

us in for dinner

I know what it’s like, Othered

among faces so much my own.

who will watch us closely

certain we won’t be swallowed

up in the night