A Wolf's Sigh | Teen Ink

A Wolf's Sigh

February 2, 2013
By WinterGreer SILVER, Wasilla, Alaska
WinterGreer SILVER, Wasilla, Alaska
7 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
dance like no one's watching/ love like you've never been hurt/ sing like no one's listening/ live like heaven is on earth


The wolf
howls his question to the heavens

When?

When will the snow fall?
When will I hear the spring birds call?
When will I see my young?
When will I see them skinned, on a peg to be hung?
When will the moon come down from the sky?
When will amongst her brethren she lie?
When will men through their clouded eyes finally see?
When will the war end - this battle of friend against friend, me against me?

The heavens answer him not,
but the wolf's howl is unending.
Many a fight the wolf has fought,
and to the sky's stony silence, he has no intention of bending.

When?

When are the lakes going to freeze?
When are the forests going to be stirred by a summer breeze?
When are the wild places going to die?
When are men going to fall from their throne on high?

When?

The wolf stands,
silence his only answer.
Snow falls across the frozen lands.
Flakes glisten in his fur.
Through the icy stillness,
he hears not a sound.
The wolf must confess;
his spirit was lost, and is not yet found.

When?

When will the stars leave the sky?
When will the world hear nature's last cry?
When will my lament be more than a wolf's sigh?


The author's comments:
I love the wild places and nature, and wolves are fascinating creatures. They can be playful and cute, certainly (mostly as pups), but most see wolves as beautiful, proud, solemn creatures - even savage ones - and that is the angle that I try to go for with this poem. This poem is both narrated by the wolf - first person - and in third person, and is about this wolf bemoaning the loss of the wilderness where he/she once roamed. I hope this poem touches your hearts and causes you to think a little deeper about your own appreciation of nature and impact on it. Thanks for reading!!!

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