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Notes About The Poem

image from a-zanimals.com

the following poem is written from the perspective of a Comanche Indian warrior--the Comanche lived off the land in and around the Trinity River, birthplace of what is now Dallas, Texas.

poem submitted to "Ode to Cat2" poetry contest, JCB Bruhl, sponsor, 6/25/2026

BOBCAT OF THE TRINITY RIVER

Oh Bobcat, spirit-walker of the river’s edge,  
I stand beside these slow brown waters  
and watch your shadow glide through the reeds.  

Your coat—sun-fired gold, dusk-marked and wild~  
holds the colors of the plains after rain,  
a pelt worthy of Comanche warriors, 
yet more worthy of awe.  

Muscles ripple beneath you  
like wind moving through tallgrass,  
quiet, certain, older than my people’s stories.  

Night belongs to you.  
You slip through it without sound,  
eyes bright as coals in a dying fire,  
seeking the heartbeat of rabbit, quail, deer.  

I honor your hunger, your strength,  
your right to walk this land unchallenged.  

Here along the Trinity River,  
I bow my head to your power~  
for in your fierce grace, 
I remember my own.

11th gradecatnatureode

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