Shapeshifter's Chant

By Melissa Pinol

Beneath the moon
I hear the call
That takes me
Beyond Human walls

My soul will ride
Upon this chant
To where the wild
Creatures dance.

I slip my bonds
To wear the skin--
I am the beast
I shelter in.

I am the ear
That hears the cry
To rise where Humans
Cannot rise.

I wear the feet
That mark the snow
To run where Humans
Cannot go.

I am the tongue
That tastes the blood--
I live beyond
All human good.

The moonlight wanes
I must go back
To Human world
Of white and black

And sated now
I do return
To where the Human
Fires burn

And seated by
My fireside
I dream of Beasts
With Human eyes.