Bestiary: Poems
by Donika Kelly

Donika Kelly’s bold debut collection, longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award and winner of the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize.

I thought myself lion and serpent. Thought
myself body enough for two, for we.
Found comfort in never being lonely.
What burst from my back, from my bones, what lived
along the ridge from crown to crown, from mane
to forked tongue beneath the skin. What clamor
we made in the birthing. What hiss and rumble
at the splitting, at the horns and beard,
at the glottal bleat. What bridges our back.
What strong neck, what bright eye. What menagerie
are we. What we’ve made of ourselves.
—from Love Poem: Chimera

Throughout this remarkable book, readers encounter animals, legendary creatures, and mythological beasts—entities that are half-human and half something other. Bestiary by Donika Kelly serves as a catalogue of such beings—from the familiar like whales and ostriches to the fantastical such as pegasi and chimeras to centaurs and griffins. Interspersed among these are poems exploring themes of love, self-discovery, and travel, both out west and back east. At the heart of this diverse and multifaceted collection is a poignant sequence, probing the depths of what makes one a monster in the harsh light of survival and introspection. Selected with an introduction by National Book Award laureate Nikky Finney, Bestiary ponders over what it means to be human and what makes us complete.