POETRY:
Lois Mintah
Brother Wolf
Brother wolf -
You were at my bedroom window
This morning
Calling for me.
I�m coming, my husband.
Sooner or later, I�m coming.
Looking out the window of the city bus
On the way to work today,
I had a vision of a forest:
Glacial and unspoiled.
You ran with wild abandon into the trees.
And my heart rent because I didn't know how to follow.
Survival is complex -
More than food and shelter.
Leaving everything behind to follow you seems
impossible:
But as you leave, you take a piece of me with you.
Tonight my dreams will be primal;
The warmth of a shaggy coat, the full moon.
I will awake a little different each day.
Until people notice a change in the iris of my eye,
As it narrows like a new moon.
One day, when you come for me,
I will have everything I need to survive.
Today, walking in the city,
I heard the click of your claws
On the pavement behind me.
When I turned around, you were gone.
You will not wait for me forever. *
� *previously published in Windows Magazine, 2002
Tiger
Orange flash at water�s edge -
pulse of the jungle quickens.
Tonight is not to hunt.
Paw in the water;
the heat lifts.
Strong face near surface,
body ripples with the water,
eyes cool with inner calm.
White and black Kabuki mask -
warrior at rest.
Calligraphy strokes on white,
dramatic, bold black stripes,
Spread with the fire of the setting sun.
Ancient samurai
did strain to evoke this flowing grace.
One with the sword
Beauty - and Death:
� Zen.*
*previously published in Windows Magazine 2004
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