Feral Girl Winter

Poetry
Written By Lucie Pereira

I’m going feral these days, by which I mean I’m growing
out my body hair, thicketing the expanse of my skin 
with swathes of dark bramble. I’m going feral, 
which is to say I’m devouring three servings of buttered pasta
straight from the pot, leaving the dishes to languish in the sink
like road-weary travelers soaking in a seedy motel jacuzzi.
I’m letting my scalp get slick with grease and then I’m taking
long showers so luxuriously scalding I can’t tell if I’m blushing or burning,
so suffocating with steam I might choke. I’m going feral, or in other words:
watch your fucking tone with me. I’m going feral, so no,
I will not be answering your email. I’m disconnecting my phone
and burying it in the backyard. I’m making a bonfire of my W9s.
I’m absconding into the woods and I’m howling at the moon and lately 
I swear I can hear her wolf-whistle back.

Lucie Pereira

Lucie Pereira (she/her) is a poet, educator, and author of the chapbook From Here to the Ocean (Finishing Line Press 2025). She is the food & beverage editor for Honey Literary and a poetry reader for Split Lip Magazine. Winner of the 2025 Ó Bhéal Five Words International Poetry Competition, Lucie recently completed an MA in Creative Writing at University College Cork. She lives in San Francisco, where she teaches second grade and co-hosts the reading and food pop-up series Kitchen Table.

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