Stalked

I saw something on a TV show today
That sparked something in me
I felt like I recognized an old friend
That I’ve recently been trying to avoid
And I don’t mean that I’ve seen this show before

I forgot about it for a time
It hasn’t visited in weeks
It stayed away from me
I think that’s good for me
But now it’s come knocking again

This wolf wants to taste me again
Its claws are clicking at the cobblestones
Stalking me down these paths, through these alleys
In my stone village under this waxing moon

I tiptoe into a house
An empty, half-finished home for no one
The roof is barely started
My face is so white under the stars

I hear it sniffing outside the window
It knows I’m here
It’s circling
It wants to lure me out
It wants to lick my old wounds
By opening new ones

It’s howling, but it has no friends to answer
It’s baying, but it’s owned by no hunter to summon

It’s probably best in the long run
If I refuse to let it in
But I love animals of all kinds
Pets are friends
And couldn’t we all use another one of those

January 9, 2025