Moon in the Wild

I sit quietly on a tree stump,

still as a windless night,

and as aware as the 

wild things that stare

with their night vision.

I feel their questions

travel my skin in their inhales

as they assess whether 

I am friend or foe.

In the November chill

alone attempts to threaten

with shadows snapping twigs

on the path behind me.

But I am not afraid because

the moon comes closer

to the pines above me

to reveal a doe trusts

I’m not her enemy. 

Susie Clevenger 2025

What's Going On? ~ Kinship