"Transformation" by Manuela

“Meditation helps to de-accelerate the brain interrupt rage transmission
before it strikes,” he thinks
as he walks into the house, breathless
having weeded and pruned his alternative self, yanked out sprouts of plant destruction chopped up thistles before

their bite became too sharp.

“I did it,” he yells to no one in particular for his house remains vacant
of any species of mammal
that understands the linguistics

of spoken human words.

His hound dog, assaulted
with the scent of the sweat
from his armpit and forehead empathizes with the exhaustion, and plops to the ground

beside the chair he slumps into, and his coffee - cold in its cup on the otherwise empty table
in his otherwise cared for cabin - waits patiently for him to drink.

His woman left long ago
scarred and defeated by his curses and blows.

She ran off with a neighbor’s son
half her age and of tranquil disposition,

and he wonders

while drinking his bitter coffee

if she would come back - if only she knew him now.