you think the cold 
is the whole animal
the dead-flat mouth
the hands that don't shake
you think that is 
the bottom of me

dig

peel the calm off in strips
get a nail under it

find the part that shudders
the part that rolls belly up 
in the dark
and waits 
to take the weight

pin it

i am not difficult

i am bolted from the inside
and i have been chewing 
the lock 
for years

get rough enough
to hear it snap