in the forest i am feral, grow matted thick red fur, feel my nose grow inches longer. in the forest i hunt for animals with alarming speed and no fear, my teeth and claws are sharp and merciless, i have indominable strength and speed. in the forest i am a fox with no babes to suckle or save, i am no one’s mother. in the forest i am a killer, feared and respected. i am invisible in the dark except for the green glow of my eyes. in the forest man has never touched me. in the forest the underbrush is thick and dense and seeing the sky is rare, i smell everything that has gone before and everything that hides, i have no thought of the future only the moment. in the forest i am content in my aloneness, unhindered by a mate or offspring, i tread on pine needles, crunching leaves, moss, mushrooms, and seeds from scat. in the forest i am untethered, unattached, fierce and god like.
Poem by Nicole Farmer
Nicole Farmer is a teacher living in Asheville, NC. Her poems have been published in The Closed Eye Open, Quiltkeepers Press, Capsule Stories, The Sheepshead Review, Roadrunner Review, Wild Roof Journal, Bacopa Literary Review, The Great Smokies Review, Kakalak Review, 86 Logic, Wingless Dreamer, and others. Nicole has been awarded the First Prize in Prose Poetry from the Bacopa Literary Review and has just finished her first chapbook, Wandering Not Lost. Way back in the 90’s she graduated from The Juilliard School of Drama. You can find her dancing barefoot in her driveway on the full moon at midnight.