Otzi, by …kruse

Dogwood is best for arrows

straight and strong, very light.


I stayed ahead of them for days. 


Mine are fletched with goose feathers
though swan is fine. 


All this for the crime of trespass.


My bow is Yew, close grained
hard as death.


That young bastard let one fly and caught me good. 


To kill a man
tip your arrowhead with its sap, 


Snow makes the softest bed,


it’ll not kill fast,
but it will kill sure. 

 

I lie in it, watching the last clouds.

 

Published 13th of August 2025

About …kruse

…kruse is an autistic, queer artist and writer based in the UK.
They write about the solitaries, the hermits and wanderers and those who experience life in the margins. They have a BA in Fine Art and completed an Mlitt in Creative Writing at Glasgow University in 2023.