The Brothers Grimm killed the
wolves of Yellowstone. They
transformed the solemn beasts
into greedy and gluttonous predators.
The story-wolves, often in disguise,
knocked down houses, ate red-hooded
girls or boys who cried the same word
too many times. Soon explorers and
well-to-do headed west, with the
illustrated tales tucked in their vest
pockets, rifles across their shoulders.
They didn’t know that with each wolf kill,
more elk thrived, who then ate the mountain
willows that beavers used for dams. The
banks collapsed, the rivers warmed, fish
couldn’t survive. Eagles and other fowl flew.
Yellowstone was dry, lifeless, nothing but
scat and bones. Years later, another story.
Mist rises as our raft pushes through. We
part silent waters, pass snowy peaks. Eagles
return to their nests. Otters repopulate
abandoned beaver dams. Elk appear from
nowhere. Their soft eyes on alert. The
wolves have returned, camouflaged
in new growth that now reaches the
great mountains’ edges. They persist as
sentries in this tale of survival and repair.
This poem first appeared in How to Heal the Earth (Silver Birch Press, 2022).
—
Nancy Lubarsky, a retired NJ school superintendent, holds a doctorate in English Education. She’s been published in various journals including Exit 13, Lips, Tiferet, Poetic, Stillwater Review and Paterson Literary Review. She’s the author of three books: Tattoos (Finishing Line), The Only Proof (Kelsay Press), and her latest book, Truth to the Rumors (Kelsay Press) which was one of five finalist for the 2023 Laura Boss Narrative Poetry Award.
