“Homes” by Beth Cato
I will build my walls of bone
let wind whistle through the femurs
my breath will leech their moisture
transform smooth white to porous gray
I will grow stronger in my new cage
crush bone to powder beneath my grip
by fistfuls I will break this place asunder
plant seeds in calcium-rich dust
vines will grow in tangled torrents
my hands to weave a roof and walls
beneath cruel sunlight, buds will open
to baptize my soul in sweet honeysuckle
| Beth Cato is the author of the Clockwork Dagger series from Harper Voyager, which includes her Nebula-nominated novella “Wings of Sorrow and Bone.” Her new alt-history series starts with Breath of Earth. She’s a Hanford, California, native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, son, and requisite cat. Follow her at BethCato.com and on Twitter at @BethCato. |  |