Bleak Days
bleak days
as I head upstream from the cabin
my snowshoe greets the morning with its rhythmic stride
zero degree beauty lies
in the bleak February landscape of grays and overcast blues
just ahead I see a splash of red in the snow
and as I walk closer I see a mass
of white tracks that encircle it
long gone
all that remains is the end of the chase
her deer head still pointing downstream
eyes frozen open
gazing ahead
legs still in running pose
I hadn’t heard a thing though I was
less than a stone throw away deep in my dogged dreams
the struggle waged on
I’ve heard deer scream in the night
I’ve heard the coyote howl
I’ve heard the half-wolf nature of my
dog howl in reply
I turn and return to my cabin
the swirl of life and death
dance before me
I take my place in nature’s wildness