Feraling, a Poem By Adam Kamerer

I met Adam Kamerer at a book signing last year, and later discovered his poetry. I'm not an expert on poetry, but I recognize talent when I read it. While I was browsing Adam's poetry website, I came across this poem. "Feraling" conjured images and feelings from my visit to the Aracata Forest in Northern California a few years ago. I asked Adam if I could combine his poetry with my images, and he graciously agreed. 

I hope you enjoy this poem as much as I did. Please click over and visit Adam's website for more poetry. 

---

Feraling.

​I am calling you into my temple,
to the deep green forest,
where scattered light
gives way to shadow and moss.
​
Leave the asphalt and glass behind.
Leave the streetlights and sirens,
the busy bodies yelping
in the artificial light,
leave behind the hustling life,
the gristmill of the civilization grind.

​Pad quiet between the trunks,
shrink beneath the ancient trees,
lope into the gloaming dark,
unhuman yourself with me,

​​let me teach you the religion
my body taught itself:

I am not a creature of reason.
I am not comfortable in my skin.
​
I am nature dreaming of itself,
an animal prayer, a hungry spirit:
I am a mouthful of howling,
I am teeth and I am blood,
I eat the earth until the earth eats me,

​​I know this is a ragged ritual,
this prayer to animaling,

this is not the first time
I have tried to explain
this shaggy holiness.

Go back if you want
but leave my wolf body
here on the dirt

​​ring me with wildflowers
and river pebbles,
let the ants have me,

until my pelt is eaten up
and my bones bleach white in the air.

Enshrine me to my wild worship.
​
— Adam Kamerer

---

I hope you enjoyed Adam's work. I want to highlight other local artists and writers in the coming year. If you are a Wiregrass area author, artist or photographer and would like to collaborate or have your work showcased on The Illusion Exotic, please contact me. 

If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books.

---