God of thresholds, guide
of souls between worlds,
have mercy on me:

God who, when I asked you
if I could pass my last years
with less anxiety,

changed me into a tiny spider
launching into the unknown
on a thread of gossamer;

and when I begged you
to let me be a bigger
fiercer creature,

made me a polar bear
leaping between
melting ice floes

• From I Want! I Want! by Vicki Feaver (Cape, £10). To buy a copy go to guardianbookshop.com.