Running With Wolves
By John Herlihy

The air is as crisp as the night is dark;
Star light travels millennia to finally hit its mark.
The scents astound me, pungent as they hit my nose.
From the ground, the air, the trees they nimbly arose.
Everything from dead leaves to the spirit of rain
Remind me again and again of survival and pain.
I am running with wolves to infinity and back;
In panting breathlessness, I merge with the pack.
Fidelity and solace remain forever the enduring traits;
They are there at my side, every one of my mates.

We run with nature and trusting nature we abide;
Our noble mother reveals all with nothing to hide.
The wind gives us insight with a simple story to tell;
The frigid cold chills the heart within winter’s spell.
I flee lightly over broken ground on roughened paws;
I tear the living flesh of sheep and deer with fierce jaws.
My winter coat covers me from my ears to my claws;
Only my eyes are uncovered to witness everything I saw.
Nothing can stop the hunt, we are the eagles of the land;
Nothing prevents our attacking prey without reprimand.

There’s more, I am not done, we have survival to ensure;
To be true to our nature, and thru life’s challenges to endure.
I am one with the pack and my comrades run at my side;
We breathe the air and drink the rain to fortify our hide.
Nothing can stop us now and we are surging into the wind;
In pursuit, we focus on our frightened prey soon to be skinned.
When suddenly, I slip off the edge and into the morning wake up;
Lost irretrievable in a dream that drained away like an empty cup.
Once again in the world alone, dressed in human flesh and alive,
To remember the wind, the air, the sheer animal desire to survive.