One More Northern Beast by Steve Subrizi

I am this weird-looking thing with wing-like protrusions coming out of my back.

Also on top of my back is a gigantic boulder that was put there right after my birth.

I’m sorry, that isn’t exactly correct—the boulder is no longer on top of my back.

I flung the rock off of my back, or it shuffled off of there, pretty gradually over time.

I cannot fully know the story of the boulder, but after a certain day, I was free of it.

I flew into the air immediately and it was horrifying. I flew into the sun and lived.

You—specifically you, whom I love—must aid me in destroying that one boulder.

It does not matter if you understand why the boulder must die [or break apart].

Here is exactly one choice, and then I may fly away: love the boulder, or love me back.

Steve Subrizi is a poet and singer-songwriter from New England. He co-hosts the Boston Poetry Slam at Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His poems have appeared in such places as NAILED, Muzzle, PANK, and The Scrambler. His second e-chapbook, More Room In Hell, was recently published by FreezeRay, and he just recorded his second studio album, Evil Beds; both are scary movie-themed. For further reading and listening, please visit www.stevesubrizi.com.

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