(Creating humans)

Soul, sentience and sense
Odin, Vili and Vé
embroidered rough knots
into muddy, half-dark, dregs
two husks of drifted ash

The brothers salted shadows
stitched their turf-cut emblems
into form, softened knitted flesh
man and woman, oil treated
smoothed out Ask and Embla

Bombarded by night voices
they dreamt a first tongue
saw pitted blossoms, black stars
unnamed except for finger point
they awoke with guttural cry
screamed beauty with claw