Joshua Zeitler

Transition Diary I

Black and white          and gray bird landed on the porch rail.

Seems when I am nose-to-nose with the world          I realize

I do not know how to name it.          It was small enough to fit

in my fist.          Did not open its beak.          I used to rename

every lover after the first date—          Brokeback Sand Dune,

Count Ertenor, Chapter Seven, and who          could forget

Dr. Potato Head?          He knew the name of every mushroom

but called them little guys.          In exchange for lectures

on the mysteries of spores and mycelium          I taught him sex

is always predatory to some degree.          When he crushed me

against the rough bark          I left my body          hoping he

would follow.          I was nose-to-nose with my longing.

It was silent and small          enough to press its feathers

to a pulp in my fist.          I would name this          chickadee.

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Joshua Zeitler is a queer, nonbinary writer based in rural Michigan. They are the author of the chapbook Bliss Road (Seven Kitchens Press, 2025) and their work has appeared or is forthcoming in Ploughshares, Foglifter, The Account and elsewhere.