a beaver wrote me

a song once
when our bellies were full
& the moon was full
              coyotes howling
              at the bone eye
her fingers
              plucked          the grass
              tail                     slapped the water

she sang about last thursday
hiding her mouth underwater
              to keep herself quiet
              when trappers trapped
              her momma
sheared her momma’s fur off
& left her naked
              floatin round somewhere

now this beaver’s
pluckin grass like a guitar
& i’m the only human
who hears her song
the others just don’t listen:
bievers r jus aenimels
              they say
tht wil nvr chanj
                         –Christine Lyons

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