Sunday, October 8, 2017

Wolf

 source: Wolf Howling


Along a forest trail,
we met,
wolf and old woman.

Our eyes locked.
He took a step back,
assessing.

"Don't worry," I said.
"I love you.
I won't hurt you."

I backed slowly,
turned away,
retreated from
his habitat.

At a bend in the trail,
I looked back.
He was still watching me.
His eyes were sad,
for all the embattled wolves
and humans
of the world,
for the friendship
there could be,
among the species,
not possible
until humankind
awakens.


I walked a forest trail this morning, and these lines popped into my head. A friend once met a young cougar on the trail. It meowed at her. True story.

29 comments:

  1. Sounds like one of my husband's dreams. He comes across wild animals all the time. I'm even afraid of many dogs.

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  2. This is lovely, Sherry. Dream like.

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  3. If we live in harmony with nature, all will be well.

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  4. Wish we could all live in peace and brotherhood with the other species!

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  5. This breaks my heart really. We all could be living in much more harmony than we are. If only we did not think of 'the other' as our enemy.

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  6. It's a little sad, yes, the necessary mutual wariness. But I do love the respect your old woman shows, and the acknowledgment that this is HIS habitat.

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  7. I have never met a wolf but I know that I would back gently too. I think we should have clear borders between our habitats,

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  8. Indeed there could be friendship if we treated nature and animals with respect Good one

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  9. I wish I had the chance for such encounters where I live. I guess there are some disadvantages to Island life. A lovely poem Sherry.

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  10. Oh this is so beautiful Sherry!💕 I love how you describe the moment here and end with 'until humankind
    awakens.' Let us hope it happens soon💕

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  11. Yes. And the only way that's possible is if we human domesticate our fearful need to master the wolf.

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  12. It is their habitat and how easily we believe we have the right to encroach. Lovely reminder Sherry.

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  13. I love the dreamlike quality of your words Sherry.
    Oh, if only it could be so that we respected the rights of other species, their place given by nature itself - but we don't and probably (almost certainly?) wont.
    Anna :o]

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  14. Another walk on the "wild side" mystic, magical, ... as always beautiful.

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  15. I think my heart just broke a little. Okay, it broke a lot... I so hope we can wake up, and soon.

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  16. this was powerful, especially when you locked eyes with the wolf and the wolf had sadness in his eyes. love the poem, Sherry.

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  17. Beautiful verse and story. Happy Sunday Sherry

    Much love...

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  18. You speak so eloquently for the wild things, Sherry!

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  19. This is such a beautiful, touching poem.

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  20. I wish humankind could awaken! Sad and thought provoking at the same time

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  21. Sadly, humans seem disinclined to make much of an attempt to live in harmony with each other - something that animals are much better at.

    An awesome poem, though.

    I know from personal experience that such human/wild life connections are real - and I suspect, more common than we, perhaps, realize.

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  22. Your love of the wilderness shines through.

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  23. for the friendship there could be,
    among the species, not possible
    until humankind awakens

    How very true, Sherry! Humankind who can think should be the one to trigger it off. It is a pity humans should stumble even without starting!

    Hank

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  24. Friendships between species? Even humans have trouble being friends with each other, especially when idiots lead certain countries!

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