In the Woods
Detritus
pitched every which-
way,
dark rot and loam laid
bare.
Troubled patches
everywhere
along the path.
This
is wild turkeys’ work.
Tossing
leaf cover aside,
grubbing
around like a rush
of
lady shoppers at a sale bin.
Dog
has no curiosity about
turkey
scratch. Instead she
inspects
tall weed or grass
(top
to bottom) with her
omnipotent
nose, quivering
moist
planet of jet beads.
Being
thorough, she re-sniffs
(bottom
to top) with dainty
precision
for traces of the four-
footed.
Deer, fox, raccoon,
rabbit.
Bobcat. Bear. Coyote.
I
dodge a scat pile or two,
dreading
most the coyote’s
tarry
rope, clotted with bones
and
fur, the final turd’s wispy
flourish a killer’s last word.
Cathy Larson Sky
April 04, 2020
PHOTO CREDITS:
Scratch: National Wild Turkey Federation
Dog in woods: Cathy Larson Sky
Coyote scat: 2013 Kim A. Cabrera
