Friday, November 8, 2024

Poetry Day

Coyote Morning 


Coyote Morning

By Robert Allen Lupton


Coyote stands on broken sidewalk

watching weeds where children played.

Sensing movement among broken toys,

his nose twitches,

his ears perk,

his eyes focus.

A doll shifts,

her hair tangled, her dress tattered.

Her eyes don’t blink.

No cry of protest when she’s shoved akimbo

against a battered bicycle seat.

A furry nose pokes above

the feral profusion of abandoned lawn.

The coyote tenses.

He freezes.

He watches.

He waits.

Eyes follow his questing nose.

A rabbit looks above rusted spokes

seeking food and safety.

He finds neither.

The coyote pounces.

The rabbit squirms.

The coyote snaps.

Spits a mouthful of fur.

Stares at the hole under the bicycle,

sniffs the doll

and walks away.

He licks his lips.

Tomorrow.

He’ll feed tomorrow.

With no more people, all the tomorrows are his.

Robert Allen Lupton

https://robertallenlupton.blogspot.com

Robert Allen Lupton is retired and lives in New Mexico. He has three novels, seven short story collections and three edited anthologies available in print and audio versions. Over 2000 of his Edgar Rice Burroughs themed drabbles and articles are located on erbzine.com



6 comments:

  1. Multi-layered meaning, I like that in poems!

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  2. Loved this one. It really brings out the inner thoughts and moves of one coyote.

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  3. R. A. “Doc” CorreaNovember 8, 2024 at 6:32 AM

    Nature always prevails

    ReplyDelete
  4. 'Yotes and roaches will outlast us all. Excellent poem.

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    Replies
    1. I don't know much about coyotes, but when I lived in NYC, a cockroach got into the microwave when I turned away for a second. I slammed the door and pushed the 1-minute button. And guess what, the bug crawled out when I opened the door. Cockroaches are indestructible. Luckily, we had a chance to move up to the mountains :)

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