Masculinity

The wetlands freckle with surface ice
as I slough-off my disguise and sink below
the water. I hope no one recognised
how close I was to crying. The damp
seeps back into my bones, the night
awash with creatures who wake up
when the sun goes down. I creak
into the survival routines I’ve created
to survive this place. Another human
finds a sinkhole near to the edgelands
and I inch a little closer. I listen
for the music of other bodies settling
into the water, try to decypher who is
friend and foe. I will myself to belong.