Winning Poem

when you creep by, the birds always
fly away at the sight of you, leaving
silence and solitude.

when you explode through the acrid air, hungering, you
pounce for the baby stag,
dust gathers beneath
your heavy paws and in your dry lungs

and when an animal’s bright eyes dim like
dying stars, you feel no emotion until you realize
that you are alone once again.