Across a salt-stained strip of sand,
a wolf noses his way through the driftwood.
What he seeks, he knows not,
but his jowls water for a prey
he has never tasted.
.
As the brown paws scour the beach,
a serpent, dozing in the last of twilight’s
warmth, perks its diamond head.
Sea breeze carries away all sound as it glides
over the fresh tracks.
.
Instinct drives the wolf onward
past the stench of dead fish and
the clatter of whale bones
toward a black opening in the rocks.
.
Into the whistling mouth, the hunter leaps,
ignoring the rising fur on his back.
Behind the tidal pool, the daylight abandons him,
but his moonlit eyes blaze the trail.
.
As the timber pelt presses onward, the serpent slips
into the pool, unnoticed among the rippling gray waves.
It floats, mimicking the driftwood, as it waits
for the thick paws to slip on the wet stone.
.
In the darkest recess, the wolf breathes in.
What he thirsts for finally surrounds him:
a cold so callous it fills his bones
with the long-forgotten frost of the tundra.
Death.
.
A gust howls through the shadows,
wrenching his legs from beneath him.
One moment, his paws scrabble at the ledge.
The next, the frothing waters embrace him.
.
Frigid scales wrap around the wolf’s
flailing forelegs, dragging his snout down.
Born in the frozen rivers of the North,
the hunter reacts with the law
of fang.
.
Its bleeding tail writhing,
the serpent reveals its own fangs.
The wolf rears back, dodging the diamond head.
As the hunter crashes down, his paw catches the snake’s neck,
pinning it to the submerged stone.
.
Snakes move like fish through the saltwater,
but the wolf has lungs hardened from moonless chases;
his legs do not slacken as the green body shakes.
To be a breath away from its prey,
but never tasting his blood.
.
The wolf emerges as the final sliver of sun retreats
his foe hanging from sodden jaws.
He leaves the body for the hawks
who silently accept his offering.
.
In view of the rising moon,
the hunter limps toward the North once more.
For Life can only strengthen
where Death lurks.
About the Creator
Stephen A. Roddewig
Author of A Bloody Business and the Dick Winchester series. Proud member of the Horror Writers Association 🐦⬛
Also a reprint mercenary. And humorist. And road warrior. And Felix Salten devotee.
And a narcissist:
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Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
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Comments (17)
Circling back to congratulate one of my favourite humans (who's not a poet) for winning a poetry challenge!!! 🎉
Well deserved win… exciting tale of two hunters and the ultimate victor.
Congratulations on your win!
I enjoyed how the serpent, in its mimicking the driftwood, became, in a sense, part of the maze. Not sure if that was intended or not, but I liked reading into the echo. :) Congratulations, Stephen!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Roddewig Supremacy Confirmed...😎 Amazing work, my friend. I actually read this back when it became TS. Must have gotten interrupted and never circled back to like and comment. Did you search for something to submit? Or did you know right away you wanted to submit this one? Regardless, intuition was your friend that day. Super congrats, Stephen!
STEPHEN OH MY GOODNESS!!!!
Author's Note (since I can't Quick Edit this into the actual poem now): Nine years and several journal rejections after I first wrote "Hunt," it finally has its day! So if you have a backlog, no matter how deep, never be afraid to dust something off. You may just have found its home no matter how old, how obscure, or how much you now refer to yourself as "not a poet."* Never give up! *And I will continue to do so. I wrote this poem as the capstone for my Poetry 101 course. Back then I was an earnest, studied poet truly trying to master the craft. In other words, *he* was a poet. I am not, but I salute the past me who was 🙂
Congrats. On the Win! You nonpoet poet you!
Stunning! Congrats.
A rare bit of poetry by the man, myth and legend?! Not to mention a well earned Top Story to boot!! Congrats Stephen!!
Back on the top where he belongs. My man. Congrats, Stephen K. Roddewiggggg.
Awesome, I haven’t read much action poetry but this definitely scratches an itch. Wolves are so cool, and your poem did them justice :) Good stuff
And he’s back on top
Oh that line! “To be a breath away from his prey” that was pure gold Stephen! The whole poem was fantastic, but that line in particular was simply brilliant
This is stellar, sir. I can't fault anything about this. Like MD said below. You need to do more poetry. I know it's not really your thing, exactly, but your natural flair for vivid descriptions and immersive language really brought this hunt to life. Well done, very well done!
More poetry, please, Stephen. Good LORD. I was riveted! I feel you need to do a collection based on animals. Mix of short story and poetry. It would be amazing.