At the Wedding of My Transformation
art by Cynthia Yachtman
by Cassandra Whitaker
bride—the moon— moonlit calls for the wolf—-unhinged
swinging on a door made of borrowed light
Do I go through or do I remain closed?
Do I say yes yes or do I know myself?
to sunlight— I turn regrow my power
borrowed joy to change the surface of ache
into a wish catcher a deep pool of want
the bride understands the wolf appears as she
unlearns her old name offers to be filled
the wolf appears it matters little
where she places danger I am returning
to fill emptiness to be full of love
the bride—the moon— bereft of ocean’s ocean—time
the wolf’s teeth—age worn forgotten almost
by the wanting wolf inside the bride’s heart
waiting for the moon recovering from want
I was once nothing echoing night sounds
in an emptiness I understood to be night
I understood it I went into myself
love changes a name into a new sound
once I was the moon now—the wolf’s question
tuned to light’s frequency am I alone?
can I be held? who will hold me close
at the edge of earth before the ocean
what remains of love? a mouth devouring
a mouth devouring a mouth? facing
the inside? a reflection
Cassandra Whitaker (she/they) is a trans writer who lives in rural
Virginia. Whit's work has been published in Michigan Quarterly Review,
Conjunctions, The Mississippi Review, Shenandoah, Lambda Literary Review
and other places. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and
an educator. Wolf Devouring A Wolf Devouring A Wolf, their first
collection, was published by Jackleg Press in 2025. wolfs-den.page
Cynthia Yatchman is a Seattle based artist. A former ceramicist, she received her B.F.A. in painting (UW). She switched from 3D to 2D and has remained there ever since. She works
primarily on paintings and prints. Her art is housed in numerous public and private collections. She has exhibited on both coasts, extensively in the Northwest, including
shows at Seattle University, SPU, Shoreline Community College, the Tacoma and Seattle
Convention Centers and the Pacific Science Center. She is, a member of the Seattle Print
Art Association,COCA, Women Painters of Washington and Puget Sound Group of
Northwest Artists.
