How similar yet different

Silver Pack came from Wyoming traveling down Miller Creek.

Establishing a den in the confluence between specimen ridge and drudge mountain.

Alpha female without her mate trying to rein in her four playful pups who pounce and roll in the morning sun.

Aware of her maternal responsibilities, she nurses a pup while its siblings distractibly tease one another.

she reflects...

Hunt family came from California traveling down Hillside Terrace.

Establishing a home in San Diego area between Oceanside and San Marcus.

Alpha female without her mate trying to rein in her four playful sons who tumble and roll in the morning sun.

Aware of her maternal responsibilities, she nurses a baby while its siblings distractibly tease one another.

how similar yet different...

2 mammalian mothers: one Canus Lupus the other Homo sapien, lovingly raising their young.
Both physically exhausted, yet mentally aware that some day soon their offspring will be off on their own.

She knows it is time

She knows it is time...
nature has provided all of the right cues
light, water level, and temperature
her pineal glad receives the signals
and the process begins.

She knows it is time...
as a perennial spawner it is her duty to carry on the species.
She matters
Her eggs matter
They increase the population.

She knows it is time...
her myoglobin rich in iron delivers Oxygen to her organs and muscles.
Her body is ready for the journey
from lake to river
from hours to days.

She knows it is time...
her caudal fin waves back and forth,
kinetic energy accelerating her body as she attempts
to gain ground in the river.

She knows it is time...
her delicate eggs all with potential viability released in a sticky mass
waiting to be fertilized.

She knows it is time...
her body now exhausted heads back to the lake
and will patiently await next years cues.

As a yellow cut throat trout she has now fulfilled her ecological responsibility.

Canus Lupus 147

When you're bedded down, do you think about your place in the pack?
As the alpha male you have replaced the "old man" whose body
was worn out and slowing down as he continues to age.

When you're bedded down, do you think about how your days
could be numbered as you scratch and turn your muzzle back and forth?

When you're bedded down do you think of those watching you?
Spotting scopes focused on your every action and conversations
about your latest movements.

When you're bedded down, are you aware of your ancestral history?
Bear, dog, cat; all distant relatives from sixty million years ago.

When you're bedded down, do you think about your family?
Alpha female, yearlings, and pups playing in the distance by mossy rocky.

When you rise, amateur wildlife enthusiasts awe as you run along the illuminated riverbed
as you head toward your morning meal.

Bird Poems

Piranga olivacea
Your field marks provide me with just the right clue
a brilliant red plumage my definitive cue.
Primary wing feathers and coverts of black
separated down your five inch back.
Through the deciduous forest to the oaks do you fly
while snagging bees and wasps in midair or raiding a hive.
Scarlet Tanager is your name as I fondly recall
listening to your warbling from trees big and tall.


Tyto alba
Serrated feathers rounding out the distant contours
heart shaped face, trimmed in chocolate brown,
facial feathers funneling sounds inward to offset asymmetrical ears
definitive head movements as new sounds are detected
speckled breast of brown and white protecting the heart
As a veracious nocturnal hunter your avian adaptations of acute photoreceptors, sharp talons, and hatchet like beak help you prey on unsuspecting innocent mice as your habitat continues to shrink diminishing potential meal opportunities

Ardea herodias
Waiting calmly along the shore of Slough Creek intentions of foraging for your food on your mind.
Each step with your palmate food carefully selected.
Streaked foreneck out stretched in anticipation.
Vibrating ossicles keyed into distant sounds.
With a quick turn of your head, eyes focused on
unsuspecting prey swimming around you.
One swift, deliberate, forceful strike yields you a morning meal.
Feeling satisfied you flee the creek for a distant lands.