Salamander

by M. Frost

He eats insects
with the lazy air of sated monsters.
His slimed tongue cups them, curls gently,
and then it is over. He has swallowed.

I wonder what it would be like to live
in his cold, translucent belly, the dark spots
of his amphibian hide a veiled window.
For a moment, I could wiggle,
my armored body and paper wings fluttering

before the fire wakes in him,
before he becomes dragon.

M. Frost would like to thank her salamander, Bjaardker, for his inspiring presence. Her poetry has appeared in Strange Horizons, Star*Line, Harrow, and Astropoetica, among many others. Please contact her through her website: www.mfrostwords.com.

Favorite fruit: Mango. (Bjaarker doesn't eat fruit, preferring juicy crickets instead.)

Back to Table of Contents.