Raccoon Hunting

In the Dark I stand motionless Staring across the moonlit landscape We are together but I am alone My thoughts consume me The silence and isolation comforts me My heart quickens as the music starts A solitary howl piercing the night air A crisp baritone shattering the stillness Then silence and again the night possesses me My ears strain against the quiet Anticipating another chord Suddenly the symphony begins Ecstasy fills my body as the music reaches me Echoing from far across the countryside At first the arrangement is slow and melancholy Soon the tempo increases Their opus lifts me up and I soar over dew covered fields Through tree tops that sway in the breeze My imagination joins them in their chase The harmony of their voices fills my mind Then I am shocked back to reality With the sound of my father’s battle cry “Whoop…Hunt ‘em up boys.” His companions reply in a union of voices My blood flushes my face Long drawn out howls begin to crescendo Again my father assails the night With a shout to his comrades “Whoop…Tree ‘em boys.” Willed by my father’s voice the hounds respond A chorus of choppy barks pierces the blackness My heart quickens its beat My pace increases Anticipation takes control of my steps Guided by the sound of the dogs Holding their pray at bay We slip through dense underbrush Over tree covered hills We cross frozen streams Through meadows of frosted brown Our search lights penetrate the fog Hidden in the shadow of a tree branch Eyes twinkle like stars in the sky A single shot rings out... A thud… Snarls… Rustling leaves and breaking twigs... The final gasps for life. It is done We lead the dogs away My heart pounding in my chest