Critters
Two dirt roads and a river of fire
two foxes move in the same direction
on opposite sides of the fire
The female fox’s paws are worn down
She strikes the ground too hard, alone
The male’s paws are worn to the bone
And his ears burn, too fast
they never slow down
On a rare full moon, the female enters
the river, to soothe her aching paws
The male fox, streaking by
invokes her tenderness, she sees
his wounded paws, but the male
races on, the female looks away
Under a rainy sky, a different moon
lightning strikes the male, jolts him to a stop
To cool his joints, he enters the river
to the delight of the female
Not saying a word
the foxes spend hours, under the moon
healing their paws in the water
When they are completely healed,
they have forgotten the road,
which way fox traffic flows
(VerbalArt, New Delhi, India, 2019)
Jevin Lee Albuquerque grew up in California, on the local pier in Santa Cruz, fishing for striped bass. He evolved into a fly fisherman, obsessed with trout and steelhead. In a former life, he was a professional soccer player. He has a degree in Latin American Studies from UCLA. Recent publications include El Portal Magazine, VerbalArt, Phenomenal Literature (Authorspress, India).
Two dirt roads and a river of fire
two foxes move in the same direction
on opposite sides of the fire
The female fox’s paws are worn down
She strikes the ground too hard, alone
The male’s paws are worn to the bone
And his ears burn, too fast
they never slow down
On a rare full moon, the female enters
the river, to soothe her aching paws
The male fox, streaking by
invokes her tenderness, she sees
his wounded paws, but the male
races on, the female looks away
Under a rainy sky, a different moon
lightning strikes the male, jolts him to a stop
To cool his joints, he enters the river
to the delight of the female
Not saying a word
the foxes spend hours, under the moon
healing their paws in the water
When they are completely healed,
they have forgotten the road,
which way fox traffic flows
(VerbalArt, New Delhi, India, 2019)
Jevin Lee Albuquerque grew up in California, on the local pier in Santa Cruz, fishing for striped bass. He evolved into a fly fisherman, obsessed with trout and steelhead. In a former life, he was a professional soccer player. He has a degree in Latin American Studies from UCLA. Recent publications include El Portal Magazine, VerbalArt, Phenomenal Literature (Authorspress, India).