Tuesday, May 20, 2014

BLACK WOLF OF MY HEART




Black wolf of my heart,
your intelligent eyes look out
on a world
full of unexpected peril.
You have to struggle
to survive, to find food,
to find shelter,
to make it through
hungry winters,
to raise your young,
to not be killed
before they are able to
make their own way.

But most of all
you must be wary
of the Two-Leggeds,
who drive their noisy machines
through your wilderness,
tossing beer cans left and right,
raising their guns,
their crossbows, their arrows
at anything that moves,
back-slapping, raucous,
completely disconnected
from the land
they tromp through
so heedlessly.

God and Goddess
of the All That Is,
protect these creatures
that live more intelligently
than we do.
Guide them to
secret and sacred
pathways,
that they may survive
our thoughtless
and predatory ways.

For a world without wolves
is a world I cannot
contemplate.

This poem was inspired by a quote by Paul Watson of Greenpeace: "You cant love nature with a gun." My heart is hurt by continued reports of wolves and other wildlife, having been stripped of their habitat, being driven ever closer to "civilization" (??), and thereby coming to harm. Not their fault.

Posted for Mary's prompt at dVerse: write a poem inspired by a quote.

31 comments:

  1. What a great quote.. the protection of nature is a struggle.. I hope that habitats will be reestablished again.. but alas not much hope I guess.

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  2. Oh, if only the two-leggeds would take better care of the four-leggeds and allow them enough land so that they could live and raise their young as they would like to do. So true that it is not their fault that they are moving closer to civilization. Their habitat is being infringed on. What else can they do?

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  3. yes - it is not their fault - ugh... we should not take their natural habitat from them ... they're beautiful and majestic creatures

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  4. Good quote, Sherry! The animal kingdom has no one to defend them, except us. Some care but sadly others do not. How we can preach to that crowd remains to be found.

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  5. First of all, I'm so happy that I've followed your blog. Secondly, your poems are lessons or meditations or peeks into the natural world itself. I loved this one! More please and God bless.

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  6. ugh. it is the harsh reality of our world...we are the predator slaying and killing by stealing the habitats...agree with gabriella....there are far few defenders for them...

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  7. Wonderful way of putting it.
    Know what? Maybe they are more scared of us that we are of them. I think ignorance probabl plays a part in the need to drive them away and to prevent re-instating of some species like wolf. I must admit, I would be scared.

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  8. I suspect we both have been strongly influenced by North American Natives spirituality and point of view. Beautiful.

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  9. You are so right, my dear friend.
    Wolves have been reintroduced to Yellowstone, I believe. Yes, Wiki says so:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wolves_in_Yellowstone
    Nevertheless, humanity has a long way to go, to make up for careless, thoughtless hunting.
    You will be pleased to know my brother Rob and his son (age 10) were mountain biking on the North Shore yesterday and saw a mother bear and two cubs cross the bike trail ahead of them. Jonathan will never forget the thrill of that sight, and will never want to harm a bear.
    Love, K

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  10. My heart hurts too. What are we doing to this beautiful planet?

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  11. Thank you for this gift of words, Sherry! A touching sentiment.

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  12. Very meaningful quote & words Sherry ~ Man is so destructive with guns & what not ~ When will we ever learn ? ~

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  13. few seem to care, compared to the volume of 'reality tv' watchers. sad statements ... ~

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  14. ugh..sad. A thoughtful quote and a lovely poem!

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  15. Such a meaningful quote.and such a lovely prayer. I join you in it Sherry. If the world could change simply through your love, what a glorious habitat it would be.

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  16. Sherry, A quote that says so much. I know this write came straight from your heart. Protect these creatures..I am in agreement...

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  17. This made me think of my brother who loves wolves. :0)

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  18. You can't love your fellow man with a gun either; but well said, written, & announced. Wolves, bear, cougar, coyote, all stalking the urban canyons at night, because the suburbs are now where their habitat once was. Yet we must build new homes for the burgeoning population; where is the answer? Relocation? That didn't work out for our Aboriginals anywhere on the planet. Extinction except for parks, & zoos; too horrible to contemplate. Drove 20 miles up a forest service road in the Cascades today, saw a magnificent bear in the wild, where it belongs.

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  19. Each and every creature of this world is an integral part of our nature and man has no right to hurt them.

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  20. It does amaze me what we think is an "old" house. Europe has buildings and homes that are older than our country - when will we start to "recycle" our houses? Leave nature be?

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  21. Bravo, Sherry. A heart-rending poem. I thank God that guns are not everyday accessories this side of the Atlantic. Conservation is the way forward.

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  22. humans are the only beings who don't think twice to pull the trigger at its own kind...so Nature will have to protect her creatures and not before humans pay the price....the quote is wonderful and so is the poem...

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  23. Should have known to read this in the privacy of my own home, rather than in a crowded cafe... *dries tears* This is really beautiful, and so important - not only for wolves, but for all the animals we force out of their habitats all across the globe for one reason or another... And the quote! Bulls-eye! Lovely!

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  24. Such beautiful words and thoughts, Sherry!

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  25. If everyone can understand and respect nature ..what a world it will be..very nice Sherry:)

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  26. It is a perilous world for wolves and other animals. I would love to shoot one with my Nikon. ;-)

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  27. Great quote. I hear similar claims being made about 'fierce' elephants in India - who find that villages or cultivated fields have sprung up where their old migration paths used to pass.

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  28. amen! and it is not only that animals that are in danger

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  29. wolves are a good companion for man - both slaughter for sport.

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