Lupine Idiom

The howl resonates through the emptiness of the clearing
But wanes apace in the darkness, leaving a hollow nothing
The wolf struggles against the silence but its attempts are in vain
The infinite presence of the void amplifies the constant strain
Light filters through the trees promising relief with its warmth
 
The mesmerising flicker soothes the clash within his soul
While he slowly numbs his senses from life taking its toll
Sober from life, he craves the respite of somnolent deliverance
He impetuously probes the fathoms of his pretence
As the effeminate fire liberates a shiver that fails to reverberate

The wolf stalks the boundary of the fire its weariness augmented
The wolf scrutinises the form for malice and is reassured
The welcome consumption quenches the wolf’s voracious demand 
The wolf adjourns by the pyre before continuing through the funereal land
It embraces the fires tepid favour to thwart the night’s rime

The cold has become unbearable and he awakes, alone
The remnants of his rations are scattered and the culprit has gone
Hunger consumes him and engulfs his grating impotence
In the clearing, he howls, he abandons the tatters of his existence
It rings in his head as it overwhelms the silence of the void

            Roy Kirk