October 6, 2023

I sat in the woods so long
I became something else.
My skin split open,
My bones grew roots,
My hair became a tangle of kudzu.
I looked into the water to see my reflection,
But I didn’t recognize what I saw.
My eyes were algae-covered wells,
My mouth a nesting hole.
When I tried to speak, no words came out,
Only the quiet whispering
Of a gentle wind through the trees.