Cover Photo: The looming silhouette of a hairy beast, bent over, in the middle of an illuminated doorway
Illustration by Sirin Thada for Catapult

No Beast, Don’t Bend

I am a body surrendered fully to nature, captured in this house, left sitting on haunches in corners under blankets.

Catapult magazine · Listen to Ananda Naima González read this poem

you are beginning to look like other people

Ananda Naima González is a writer residing in Harlem, NY. She carries a BA and an MFA from Columbia University, in poetry and fiction respectively, and is currently at work on a collection of short stories. Her work is finely tuned to the tender and brutal realities of humanity, feral and natural energies, and dreamscapes. Her mission is to honor the inherently sacred ritual of living. In addition to writing, she is also an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker.