Stay Wild

And then there are wolves, nocturnal creatures,
wild from birth, resilient from fear, who run in
packs, help raise their young, care for their sick.
Animals who mate for life.

And then there are hunters, gamers for the sport,
pride purveyors, fear mongers, blind following
the blind, like processionary caterpillars who
trample truth for profit and power.

Is this a world I want to see— attack dogs salivate
for chaos, the perishable purged by greed. Is what
I am seeing real if nothing real can be threatened,
if nothing unreal exists.

I resist anything or anyone who does not bring me
alive. I give gratitude for good trouble. I bow to
praetorian guards protecting our freedoms. I rest in
the cradle of kindness and kinship.

I plant ivy into the earth, dig my hands deep into
her seasoned soil, feel fortitude foreshadow our
future. I will run with the wolves. I vow to stay
willing. I vow to stay woke. I vow to stay wild.