Story about a wolf and a dog
A wolf meets a dog
in a small clearing in the woods
mankind has erased the wild
domesticity is the quaalude
the dog greets the wolf
but the wolf only growls
despite the resemblance
the two aren't of the same crowd
one is wild, in tune with herself
the male domestic, master is the noun
one begs for scraps
the other will never beg
but both manage to find solace
in the other's day
--
over time a bond forms
a friendship develops
and the wolf visits the dog
everyday in that clearing
at first they sit apart
a careful distance measured by instinct
his collar gleams in the light
her fur rustles in the wind
he speaks in softened whines
instilled in him by gentle hands
she answers in silence
in breath
in the tilt of her head
--
he tells her of hearths
of cushions and steady meals
of the comfort of belonging
a boring paradise to her it feels
she tells him of rapid rivers
of running anywhere the heart pleases
of stars that no cave could swallow
curiosity softens into longing
the growl fades into something warmer
she brushes past him once
and he forgets every command he’s ever known
he does not beg from her
and she does not bow to him
they meet in the middle
where wild and willing interlude
some evenings she rests beside him
close enough to feel his heart
steady, eager
some mornings he wakes before her
watching the way the day dawns
threads gold through her untamed coat
love, they both learn,
is not leash nor fang
it is the choosing of each other
again and again
to return to the clearing
though he cannot follow her fully
into the unbroken grove
and she cannot live under his roof with man
they carve out a temporary home
in that small, untouched space
where wild meets in the middle
of town and civilization
--
freedom does not forbid devotion
domesticity does not tame the heart
a wolf met a dog
and neither is tamed nor wild
yet both
are changed together
both are not many worlds apart