Wolves came.
They did not come to see the flower garden.
Winter's last squall blew at their heels.
They had black faces,
and eyes as yellow as an elk bone.
I was writing a poem--
this poem,
for you,
but wolves came
and I curled myself around the April moon.
I'm sorry if you've come
and not found me here.
I'm sorry there is nothing left but a little blood-
my blood--
on the page,
but if the moon rises,
we'll talk, just as if summer was our favorite season after all;
and should the wolves come for you,
we can still be together, though it won't be the same,
in the fall.
________
'eyes as yellow as elk bone' - nice!
ReplyDeleteOne wonders why one's heart is always at the bottom of the food change. Moody and insinuating, Shay, with the chill after sun that only spring nights can have.
ReplyDeleteYes. The elk bone and "I curled myself around the April moon." Wow.
ReplyDeleteSound like they look like ME !
ReplyDeleteI have black face, yellow eyes too.
But I don't do bark , only do meow ; )
curling around the moon .. what an amazing mental image
ReplyDeleteI like the way you break the fourth wall in this poem - it makes the writing seem all the more intimate and personal.
ReplyDeleteLoved the magic and whimsy here, esp your tags which I count as part of the poem. That moon is a magical, tragical thing.
ReplyDeletei love the suggestion in the line "if the moon rises." what if it doesn't!
ReplyDeletei think i recall you are not a fan of stephen king, but i've been reading about wolves wolves wolves from him... and this resonates in a particular way as a result.
What a turn this took--I really didn't expect this ending (solidarity in ruin?).
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Happy poetry month, Shay!
Shay Your instincts are sharp as wolves teeth!
ReplyDeleteAloha, Sis
The closing lines are really gorgeous. Really haunting.
ReplyDeleteOuch. Agree with MZ about those final lines. Those dang wolves.
ReplyDeleteI love the drama of this poem -- "Wolves came.
ReplyDeleteThey did not come to see the flower garden."...this sets the tension right away and, as usual you don't disappoint....
BTW I love the quote by Ted Hughes:~)
This is amazing. It's one I could read 50 times and interpret differently almost every time. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeous:
"but wolves came
and I curled myself around the April moon"
Oh, the third stanza! Wow. And the last. Really excellent work.
Might this have been inspired a bit by Shiver?
It so perfectly fits the storyline---the werewolf and the girl, separated by the seasons and their uncontrollable physical changes. In love, nonetheless.
ReplyDeletei've just about reached my limit for one sitting ~ i swear to god i'll never write again. do you have to be so unique? must you write something so extraordinary? again and again and again.....
ReplyDeleteyou know i love ya, but i wish you'd take pity on the rest of us just once in awhile and write something average..... pretty please?
♥