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The round brown fur is unseen in the river
except for where the sun slants a rich red.
She is ovulating now and must hurry,
she cannot save her babies if the water is swift.
Except for where the sun slants, a rich red
stain is what she leaves behind in her fever.
She cannot save her babies. If the water is swift,
all the tail slapping will not stem the flood.
Stain. Is what she leaves behind in her fever
Her entrails or her camouflage blanket for the young?
All the tail slapping will not stem the flood,
a thousand creation stories tell that truth.
Her entrails or her camouflage blanket?
For the young can always tell the differences in temperature.
A thousand creation stories tell that truth -
even twin tower dams fall when the flood comes.
© 2006, Joyce Wakefield
Joyce Wakefield is the Columns Copy Editor of Moondance & a member of our About Poetry Forum whose work has represented us in the InterBoard Poetry Competition. She has published two poetry chapbooks, sold several short stories, and completed a full length book of poetry.
Poems After the Attack collection > table of contents
