The Wolf is Back
of Leo Cottenoir showing off his trophy head, the last Wyoming wolf, shot while ranching in the Owl Creeks, 1943.
The wolf is back, after all those years
of chasing rumors:
seen west of Crow Heart Butte,
tracks along the Wind.
The wolf is back, after all those years
of howling in my dreams,
yellow eyes, gleaming fangs,
taunting me to follow.
The wolf is back, after all those years of
reading empty pages in the snow,
setting snares for shadows of the moon,
searching for a phantom in the hills.
The wolf is back, after all those years
of hope, believing,
wild ones still ran free
in trackless wilderness.
The wolf is back, after all those years
of prowling in my soul,
pale fleeting ghosts,
howls awakening the Muse.
The wolves are back,
constrained by radio collars,
their voices haunt the night--
transmitting mixed signals.
