Photo by Darren Welsh on Unsplash
What they don't say
is how the cold weather
turns a predator desperate,
sneaking in among sleeping houses,
only to sniff dog feces and become jealous
of left over table scraps,
bagged food, water in a dish,
until remembering
the thunderous “shut up” at 3 AM
against the barking of a summer night
and an entire curriculum on how to beg.
This all explains how the large tracks
make even three months of snow
Richard LeDue was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, but currently lives and teaches in Norway House, Manitoba. His poems have appeared in various publications throughout 2019, and more work is forthcoming throughout 2020. His chapbook, “The Loneliest Age,” was released in October 2020 from Kelsay Books.