The Truth About Wolves

They will tell you lies about wolves,
My darling: that you contain just two
And can feed only one, and this shapes you.
No. Not you. You are full of wolves,
The whole pack, tumbling pups,
Grizzled elders, howling, nipping—
You can feed them all. Angry wolf
Will hunt beside nurturing wolf—
They are siblings. They are you.
Give them entrails. Give them blood
Let them lick your tears. You need them all
You are a forest. You are the stream and the moon.
You need starve nothing that is yourself.

(Editors’ Note: “The Truth About Wolves” is read by Matt Peters on the Uncanny Magazine Podcast, Episode 69B.)

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Marissa Lingen

Marissa Lingen is a freelance writer who lives in the Minneapolis suburbs with her family. She is the author of over two hundred works of short science fiction and fantasy and has no intention of stopping any time soon. She also writes essays, poetry, and whatever comes to her next. Her debut novella, A Dubious Clamor, is coming soon from Horned Lark Press.

A Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Truth About Wolves

by Marissa Lingen in Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Nine | 119 Words

Marissa Lingen