“The name of my dread disease is Lupus Erythematosus, or as we literary people prefer to call it, the Red Wolf”
- Flannery O’Connor

I’d never kill an animal
I’d let it kill me.

I’d let a red wolf snack
On my toes purple and cloudy
Like an old grape
Popped into his mouth.

I’d let the wolf’s howl
Draw me away from weather
And make me hot and cold
According to his call alone.

I’d let the wolf run
And feel slow as he swells
My joints and tires
My mind.

I’d let the wolf’s hunt
Keep me from the rays of day.
Keep me in the dark
Foraging for pills
That make me blind.

I’d let the wolf taste
What’s vital
My organs an offer like
Crackers and cheese

I’d let that be enough.
I’d make him stop.
My hands wrapped
Around his muzzle
I’d tame this predator
And make him my puppy.

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Lexi Inez is a writer from Houston, Texas. Her work has previously appeared in Yawp Journal and is forthcoming in The Spotlong Review. You can find her on Twitter, @LexiInez.