Cry of a She-Wolf

A flash of amber eyes in the forest twilight—
I answer with a growl.

In the crepuscular dawn of teenage-hood,
I am tainted with the tang

of menses moon, a howl of hair sprouting
in unexplored places.

Nobody told me about the sweetness
of explosions in the darkness,

lit only by moonlight on wolfish teeth.
Will I be a good mother?

I bark and howl, have a fierce heart,
red as a hood in the heat of my lupine love.

Kim M. Russell, 28^th April 2026

It’s Tuesday and time for Poetics at the dVerse Poets Pub, with Mish, who has drawn inspiration from Native American culture, specifically the ‘Seven Grandfather Teachings’.

She explains that these are “a set of Anishinaabe guiding principles for living a good life in harmony with nature and others…all of creation. These ancient teachings have been passed down for generations through stories and ceremonies. Many Native American organizations have adopted these sacred laws as a foundation. Because they are the basis for a worldview rooted in respecting each other and the natural world, these values are often represented by a specific animal.”

Mish has provided a list of animals and their values to help us fulfil our challenge to write poems influenced by the ‘Seven Grandfather Teachings’. I have chosen humility, which is represented by the wolf, who “lives life for his pack. Selfless, not selfish or arrogant. Praises others. Respects his place. Find balance within yourself and all living things.” I took lines from some old poems and re-worked them into a new poem.