brachycephalic snouts elongate
like time lapse bamboo shooting out,
snuffle-nosed bully breeds take first deep breaths
into barrel chests growing narrower by the minute.
the naked ones grow shaggy fur, the fluffy ones molt,
docked ears & tails telescope outwards, pink with new growth
feral snarls furl their expressions
new muscles stretching into place
paws turning spade-like and sharp
indoor manners forgotten, every Persian carpet torn up
and pristine kitchen marked with animal urine
god the stink, like they’d never been bathed at all –
what do they see when they look at us?
just yesterday, we knew each other’s faces.
finally, pupil slits elongate
eyes yellow, in a mirror of their new master.
now the moon comes out
and this night belongs to the Canids.
Auzin is a writer from the Pacific Northwest. She has published with Nowruz Journal, Rogue Agent Journal, and Agapanthus Collective. She is a chapbook editor at Wrongdoing Publishing. More of her work can be found at byauzin.com.
Snarl 