Aggressive

The vet hands me a form
on animal behavior.
I check yes
for aggressive,
even though I don’t think
that she is.

If someone cut away
at a piece of my body,
I would scream and bare teeth
too.

Even now,
I snap at the hands of my lovers
as they draw too near
to my ears.

My father brought me
to a doctor–
metal tools, splitting eardrums–

If my mother filled out forms,
she would call me aggressive
too.