“Fair and square” by Madison Scott-Clary (read by B.P. Rugger)

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You’re listening to Pride Month on The Voice of Dog.

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This is Rob MacWolf, your fellow traveler,

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and Today we present a poem

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by Madison Scott-Clary,

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whose graphomania occasionally gets the best of her.

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Today’s poem is from her collection Eigengrau.

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Her writing is available at makyo.ink, where you can find stories, poems, and books

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to purchase or read for free online.

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Queer people and queer identities are drawn to the furry community for any number of reasons,

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but at the bottom of them is this.

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The furry community, the whole subculture,

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is based on a lifelong exercise in self-definition.

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We say “I am a tiger”

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or “I am a badger”

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or “I am a dog” and our friends accept it.

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And all LGBTQ+ rights are founded on the right

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to self-definition,

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that nobody may decide who I love,

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who I am, what I am,

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but me. Read by B.P. Rugger,

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the ineffable Moo-Moon.

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Please enjoy “Fair and square”

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a poem by Madison Scott-Clary

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I bought my name fair and square;

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Bespoke, built from whole cloth.

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I wrote it again

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and again, Savoring every J,

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Skipping every fifth tittle, Until it felt right,

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Like sitting inside and watching the snow fall Through the window

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Or finding the perfect way that branches in two trees Line up with each other

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Or when the windshield wipers move In time with your music.

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I built myself fair and square With hands raw from coarse identity.

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I kneaded and pressed

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and squeezed, Savoring every curve,

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Skipping every tenth day,

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Until it all felt right,

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Like the sweet smell of

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pine bark Rubbed between fingers

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Or the whisper of maple leaves Under hurrying paws

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Or the perfect overlap

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of new buds Already sticky

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with sap. This was “Fair and square”

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by Madison Scott-Clary,

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read for you by B.P. Rugger,

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the ineffable Moo-Moon.

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Happy Pride, and Thank you for listening to The Voice of Dog