Bite

Nip gently my ears /
Tease your teeth along my neck /
Graze fur and bite down /

Walking through packed crowds /
Hidden beneath my collar /
You're ever present /

Marked clearly as yours /
Soft paws linger on my flank /
Remembering fangs /

We both bear shared scars /
Old oaths carved into young pelts /
Mouths and teeth as bond /

You're under my skin /
Somewhere deep in these soft bones /
Within and without /

You sink into me /
as tooth, as cock, as spirit /
A lasting mark /

Whenever I'm lost /
I reach for my tender neck /
Your paws come to me.

-Charles Michael Averin