Woodchuck

by Christina H. Felix

She didn’t want
to be a woodchuck.
Foraging for the Long Sleep
accumulating layers of fat
around the midsection
fashioning a winter burrow
from hay pillows
remnants of compost heaps
settling into cold.

Curled in darkness
she drops her body heat
stills her pituitary
faints her heartbeat
inextinguishable breaths
until she’s cold blooded
beyond consciousness
waiting.