Werewolf

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I was terrified
when the swift grey form
first charged from the darkness
and nipped my heel;
I feared I would become blood-mad.

"Oh God!" I thought,
"even those I love
are not safe from me."

I felt my senses sharpen.
I felt my body
          burgeon with new meanings
and my brain quicken
          with an unfamiliar alertness.
I moved, dancing, with liquid wonderment.

Those movies had it all wrong---
but now that doesn't surprise me.
I can understand why.

I have never felt so free,
so clear about what is important
and what is not.

Only those
who'd shared soul-time with me
were gifted with the transforming bite:
two dear friends, my wife and children.

With eyes gleaming with delight
they cavort around me.
My beloved licks my muzzle.
In a moment
we'll race joyfully
toward the singing voices of our kind.