red
by Tianna G. Hansen
when I die, bundle my bones
burn this human husk to ensure
the wolf part of me is dead, too.
take my ashes and bury them
in the woods, where I was happiest
sprinkle them along the creek
so I become one with the bubbling
waters where I used to drink, long tongue
lolling from my mouth, & where I bathed
in half-wolf form, crystals of water
clutching at this changing skin.
I will exist always in the wind
on a full moon where my howl rises
to fill the stillness within you. cry of
the wolf, the call of wild that screams
inside all of us. my spirit will always
race between the trees like one endless
thread, a redness that returns in fallen leaves.
About Tianna
Tianna G. Hansen has been writing her whole life, born in the desert but now thriving in the woodlands of PA. She founded and is EIC of Rhythm & Bones Press (rhythmnbone.com), focused on turning trauma into art. Her debut poetry collection Undone, Still Whole explores how trauma survivors can reclaim their bodies, channeling the power of goddesses and witchcraft to heal. Tianna is also part of a three-poet opera A Victorian Dollhousing Ceremony where she takes on the role of The Firebird. Find more of her published work at creativetianna.com or follow her on Twitter @tiannag92.