Warm Heart Warm Hands
Warm Heart Warm Hands
Evening fell with blizzard snow along the lake
It had turned to a thick smooth sheet of ice
Shades of gray black set in with the twilight
Ghost images of swirling snow
Changing forms and shapes over the frozen surface
Vanished and came to life again as I approached
I have been lost for hours walking aimlessly in the shadows
Of tall pines and blinding drifts
To emerge from there to here, no hope in sight
Then, through the obstructing snow, danger approached
A large gray wolf moved with conviction in my direction
In erratic movements left and right it stalked
Trying to hide between each snowflake to attack
Sizing me up as a meal or snack
The beast launched itself at me
Hysterical red eyes, dagger large fierce teeth
Demon growls exploded from deep within the beast
Sounding from a long history of savage lineage
To intimidate and frighten me
As it lunged full force to seize my neck
The long gun was at the ready
Fingers nearly frozen to the trigger
I fired the death shot to the brain
The sound roared through the valley
Quickly, I drew my hunting knife
Slit its belly clean open
Plunged both my frozen hands into the beast
To feel the hot wet flesh and organs of the creature
Blood and heart stopped pulsing but served their purpose
I could feel tingling in my fingers, so
Frost bite had been averted
I stayed the night side by side with the animal
Warm heart warm hands till morn
Sun burnt open on a new day
And with it this spectacle
Blood and guts
Some surreal survival
As I wrapped my bloodied hands in the green scarf
Marched in the direction of a glow
Coming over a snow covered landscape
Altered by the drifts
Still lost with a long way to go
Copyright © Earl Schumacker | Year Posted 2015
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