Beast
A
carcase lies splayed,
Deer
dismembered,
Limbs
at every angle,
Throat
ripped out, entrails spilled,
Ribs
exposed, gnawed and bloody,
Its
mouth a rictus
Grimace
of violent death.
No
stoat, no stealthy weasel,
No
passing fox, nor badger
Could
cause such carnage,
Nor
hunt, stalk,
Then
haul to earth
Such
heavy prey,
Nor
rip and tear the flesh,
Leaving
here such grisly remnants.
Nothing
nearby found
No
hair, no skin, no tracks,
Neither
teeth-marks, nor DNA,
No
photos, prints or evidence,
But
then the dogs, nervous, set to barking
As
if there’s something out there.
And
rough men with guns
Shake
their heads
And
pull meaningful faces,
As
if to say, knowingly,
That
a killer stalks these woods and fields,
A
creature unseen, sly and stealthy,
Sleuth-like,
sloping, sliding,
Slipping
through trees,
A
reported shape, a shadow
Large,
long and lean,
A
cunning, catlike killer,
Fierce,
feline, feral hunter,
Black,
background-blending,
Glimpsed within the greenery.
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