howled at the moonshine. / Those things frat boys do
-- Speaker (Lines 5-6)

Importance: The supernatural elements in this moment are left intentionally ambiguous. “Moonshine” is a traditional term for whiskey, particularly homemade whiskey. The use of the phrase “frat boys” refers to university-age men who come together in a tribal community. It draws a connection between young human men and the monstrousness depicted in werewolf films.

who cried Wee wee / wee all the way to the bone.
-- Speaker (Lines 9-10)

Importance: This line is a direct reference to a traditional nursery rhyme which ends “all the way home”. The speaker uses the known rhyme and inverts it with the word “bone”, taking a familiar image and making it new. Instead of “home”, which symbolizes safety and security, this quotation brings to mind violence, hunger, and death.

Now it’s a global threat.
-- Speaker (Line 16)

Importance: This is the shortest line in the poem, a single clause of only six syllables. “Global...