The Wolf at The Door
by Alma Luz Villanueva
1.
The wolf slipped into the supermarket-
someone muttered, "Goddamn dog,
people should take care of their goddamned
dogs." The wolf's paws
scratched the shiny floors, her
nose twitched nervously and the
lights blinded her. There were no
smells, no wind, no sun; there
were people looking hungrily
from side to side. The wolf
climbed up on a shelf and got videoed
by a camera. All she smelled was
boredom and fear. She was no longer
curious, not even a mouse. The wolf
stuck her muzzle up and howled. Then,
she disappeared.
2.
The wolf, upon seeing a collar on
the dog, refused to enter the dog's
house and be fed, so, supposedly,
she starved: you know, I don't
believe this. I mean, maybe she
was shot and skinned and made
into a fur coat: but I know
a wolf can always hunt.
3.
You see the woman with the wild
hair smelling apples just to see
if they're real, the way she squeezes
the hamburger and shakes the milk
around, just to see if they're real.
You see, the woman is a wolf
with the power to open doors.
She scowls at the camera's eye.
4.
She will go home and make tacos,
pick up a photo magazine and read
about a German camp survivor
who supervised 2,000 children
made to carry small stones, who
were fed soup with bits of potatoes
and human flesh. This is when
the woman puts her muzzle skyward
and howls like a wolf. This is when
there's no camera, no witness, and she
is thankful she's part animal, so the
terrible burden of her humanness
will not crush her soul.
This is when she lets
the wolf in: the wolf who
waits at the door.
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Call of the Wild, 2010 by Pixie Campbell |
*Today is World Poetry Day, an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization(UNESCO). On the official webpage it states, "This internationally celebrated day allows us to pay tribute to all those men and women who strive to build a better world using words as their only tool." Alma Luz Villanueva's poem (from her collection Desire) embodies what it means to be a poet struggling to come to terms with the harsh realities of our world. Ms. Villanueva holds a cherished place on my shelf and in my spirit for the healing power of her words. In the spirit of World Poetry Day, I honor her.
*The print pictured here by Pixie Campbell is one of many she is offering right now in her Buy One, Get One sale. As most of you know, she also has come to hold a wild place in my heart for she knows what it means to howl when nothing else seems capable of expressing the soul's struggle. Registration for the Spring Session of her SouLodge course is open until March 26th. It would be most lovely to meet you in the circle!!
Wildest Blessings-
"This is when
ReplyDeletethe woman puts her muzzle skyward
and howls like a wolf. This is when
there's no camera, no witness, and she
is thankful she's part animal, so the
terrible burden of her humanness
will not crush her soul."
Oh yes. Oh yes yes yes.
Wildly beautiful!! Thank you for sharing...
ReplyDelete