Release

Lone Coyote

The lone coyote without a pack waits for his monthly therapy session,

where he tells the moon all of his intentions,

he speaks with a soft voice at the beginning of the night,

then begins to howl as the moon beams bright.

He spills his secrets and sorrows free,

tells a story about who he wants to be,

but then remembers he's unable to,

because he's a lone coyote who:

has no pack, no family,

complains, "they won't believe me,

why would they believe someone who isn't loved?

someone whose whole live has been shoved?"

He asks the moon why his life's turned out this way,

where every night only brings a worse day,

the moon doesn't answer, it sits and stares at him,

he cries until the dark dims.

The sun comes up, and he retreats into his den,

waiting for the night to begin again,

because it always comes, the dark before the light,

he knows that the day always comes after the night.

But today, something's different in his home,

he hears a soft snore, then a moan,

he looks around to find the mysterious sound,

perfect steps and no noise as he found:

Another coyote sleeping in his bed,

a crown of dried blood surrounds her head,

she props an eye open and looks at him,

she points at the den's rim.

He looks around, wonder in his eyes,

what was she pointing to? Was it a prize?

He sees nothing and looks back at her,

her breathing seems to make a purr.

He looks at her again,

and sees she's smiling back at him,

he wonders why, a question lies on his mind,

"What are doing? Are you my kind?"

She tells him to be quiet,

he wonders if she's lyin,

he doesn't know of her truth,

perfect hit, out the park like Babe Ruth.

He waits patiently, wondering if it was something she heard,

was it something she imagined? Something she learned?

He thinks she's hallucinating, surely she's just dying,

it's true, she's dying, but that doesn't mean she's lying.

He gets up to look outside the den's opening,

she tries to drag him back, to tell him how dare he be hoping,

for death to find him, he didn't see,

that trap set up outside for he.

She saved his life that day, a debt that can't be paid back,

their lives turned around, they became a pack,

no longer a lone coyote at his monthy therapy session with the moon,

they tell the moon their story, a pack brought together by fate for two.