‘Amphibious’
Amphibious
…borrowed from Greek amphibious, "living a double life"…-Merriam-Webster
i.
Salamanders regenerate limbs and tissue
Without scarring
& afterwards no one questions
What they learned
The trauma unapparent
ii.
I ain't quite ready for war
Two years from retirement
Our garden needs tending
& my parents are getting old
I am getting old
But when they set fire to the world
To burn us out, we'll scatter
Submerge just beneath the surface
& gather like we do
Until it's time
For sons of mothers who were sons
& asphalt heroes turn
As one to face the hounds
Match them tooth
For bloody tooth
& we know our bodies might betray us
Forget to breathe
Enough of us remember
There are other ways
To survive
Ghosts of the good queer
Poets sing
We are divine, molecular
& hate has no power
Past our skin
iii.
None of us will know them
Who come next
But we know
They will continue
As if we never left
Jason Clemmons is a Tar Heel poet and long-time university administrator with works appearing in several publications, such as Slippery Elm, Havik, and Fifth Wheel Press. His writing reflects his experience as a gay man in the US South, often touching on themes of memory, family, and resiliency. Jason lives in central North Carolina with his husband, Peter.