forest

there is an animal, wounded
it has fears, a leash around the neck
the forest is on fire,
courage burns like the leaves
in ravenous orange glow

the clouds feign strangeness
whispers of distant rains
the leash has an other end
it cannot drown, cannot burn
it smells of wet earth

pain is a leaf in the maelstrom
storms die after the kill
leaves tell you the story
leaves guide the turbulence
like smoke in a light beam

the leash dissolves in memory
the leash is an animal
changing in form and time
it is the memory of an animal
a wounded animal