Coyote Visits

I dream of a house in the prairie.  
White in yellow fields; 
endless hills rolling in and out of memory.   

This is a box of life choices  
carefully preserved.  
And I am in a barren room, 
setting a table for a meal. 
Knives right, forks left. 

I work silent and focused, 
my thoughts alone in empty space;
each cup and saucer 
put carefully in its place. 

So intent I don’t notice
Coyote and two of her pups
have ambled into the room. 
Their wildness thrills, 
then threatens me 
and I stand still, 
my breath held tight 
as they carefully explore, 
then wander out the door. 

All this 
has been with me, 
in me all this time.  

All this 
is about looking back 
and sorting all that was. 

All this 
is about starting over
and finding a way to 
love myself into wildness. 
 

Music pairing:
Hanging from the Earth by The Pines