In the deep woods, shade,
comfort and danger,
twins we've grown to accept.
You have come to this place,
to the shade,
wood rot sprouting fungi,
blossoms of sky through leaves,
and dove songs.
You lie on a flat boulder,
arrange yourself,
a wolf at your head,
a dragon at your feet,
knowing one of them will eat you.
I can slay neither dragon nor wolf.
I stand as witness in shade,
growing cooler, watching you,
the sacrificial woman.
As the beasts rise, you ask:
Am I going to die?
A cardinal flies over you,
a flash of scarlet,
the color of healthy blood
and fresh roses.
The beasts circle, making nests
at each end of the boulder,
settling once again at your
head and feet.
Not today, I say.