Life Forfeited, Law Transgressed

Life forfeited, Law transgressed Clear morn in which to go hunting today Indian prepared , went with no long delay Family of four was hungry with no food he setting forth in a very anxious mood Deep into the thickened woods he raced seeking tracks before the wind erased Venison was what he desperately sought his traps were empty with nothing caught! He was on his favorite hunting trail thoughts of how he simply must not fail A deer he across the way did soon spot carefully he drew his arrow for a shot Silently and quickly he took his aim food, precious meat, this wild game Raised bow with a very quick release a clear miss, to his awestruck disbelief! So angry about missing his only shot no meat today in the empty family pot Around the next bend he soon did meet a wolf's rocky den at his weary feet Peering into that den he clearly saw a brown movement, a quick swiping paw Next seeing two pups were quite dead the last one big and clearly well fed! The hunter mad in deep and saddened rage the Great Spirit he offended and enraged As he took hatchet to kill one lone wolf pup he emptied mercy from his own sweet cup Returning wolf pack came before he got away circled the hunter in every escape pathway Jaws wide with sharp teeth and wicked stares the wolfs charged rapidly forward in pairs! Swiftly biting as the hunter tried in vain to knock each biting wolf off again and again The wolf pack had its victim on the ground right there his mangled body was later found Indian hunter had transgressed Nature's law killing a helpless wolf pup sealed his great fall Mercy and hope had been righteously withdrawn life forfeited , he never faced another dawn! Robert Lindley , 06/26/1983 Found this in my second small journal , hidden under a box of short stories I wrote back then. Seems on the last few pages I wrote three poems. This one was finished, the other two look to be very close to being finished ... I guess I could list this as a narrative or a rhyme. Chose not to edit it any way because I signed it and thus deemed it finished back then..