Falling for Dionysus for Carolyn Kizer
by Kourtnie McKenzie
and you played music
from the bend in a leaf
before I knew you were boy or man
when the wine
left our bodies
you were in my bed
not friend not man
a lion’s mane wrapped around you
a hunter’s coat
a prince’s paws hanging from your shoulders
Little Red Riding Hood
might’ve warned me about you once
you asked what you could take
without bothering
anyone here
then you consumed the fruits I kept
the sunlight in the rafters
you even swallowed the sounds from outside
what to do but love you
what to do
when you hunger for things so great
Kourtnie McKenzie is an MFA student in Fresno State’s creative writing program. Her work’s been previously published in The Barely South Review, The San Joaquin Review, The Young Adult Review and others. She lives with her four cats and two birds in Central California. Find her work at www.kourtnie.net