Animals That Own Animal – Manahil Bandukwala

amalgamation of rabbit’s ears
   kangaroo tail 

          sip cabernet
       instead of sauvignon         

deer wear hunting arrows   like jewellery
hide the hide     stay behind the trees

         the clock that stands in the desert
we can be air plants     
       spruce needles draw blood
when crawled upon

       as we do pawing for bugs
              in undergrowth   

vines of sorts peek out    
where creatures ferments grapes
for fairytales

sip tea from spout of ceramic pot
watch over the pet bamboo

split animals into categories
     find where you fit best

Manahil Bandukwala is a Pakistani-Canadian poet and artist. She is the author of two chapbooks, Paper Doll (Anstruther Press, 2019) and Pipe Rose (battleaxe press 2018). Her work has appeared in or is forthcoming in Room Magazine, the Puritan, carte blanche, Coven Editions, the Poetry Annals, and others. She is the 2019 winner of Room Magazine’s Emerging Writer Award. Find her work online at manahils.com.