In the Woods All Animals Are Large
The difference between
a cougar stalking a deer
through gold leaves
and a squirrel dashing
over the underbrush
is no difference at all,
not when you’re listening
from your backyard
to the woods’ sudden
rustling. The robin
is the fox is the buck
is the bear, one beast
of wings and claws
and antlers. Your mind
is the same kind
of chimera, wearing
stroke, death, rupture,
breathing fire.
It’s exhausting, isn’t it,
the catastrophizing,
the endless possibilities?
A relief, then, to sit
in your backyard and listen
to the crackling leaves.
You have no control
over an animal that lives
outside your head.
What’s coming for you
could be anything.
Source: Poetry (March 2026)