Nancy L. Meek

THE DEN IN THE HOLLOW TREE

Limber and lithe with a long swinging stride,
She quickly crossed the wide expanse of snow,
Came to rest along the forest’s edge,
Scanned the arena with eyes opened wide,
Then disappeared into the undergrowth.

Destiny had brought her to this wood
In search of a hollow tree deep within
This timbered house along a mountain ledge;
Swollen womb prompted her, as best she could,
To prepare nature’s nest, the wildcat’s den.

Bearing her cubs in the early spring,
In a borrowed room in a hollow tree,
Hidden from view of the treacherous skies,
She quickly set about to teach them things
They’d need to know to become wild and free.

Striving to keep her playful cubs in tow
Proved quite a job for a mother so new
At caring for a litter of this size.
Teaching them to hunt, she watched them grow
Into full-grown wild cats in months so few.

In a lonely wood, stands a hollow tree,
Filled now with only echoes of those days.
Cutting the cord and driving the wedge,
Once again, she will run wild and free,
Enter the arena into a snowy haze,

Limber and lithe with a long swinging stride,
Quickly cross the wide expanse of snow,
Come to rest along the forest’s edge,
Scan the arena with eyes opened wide,
Then disappear into the undergrowth.

Author’s Note: Composed for Susan Duncan, Pharmacy Manager, after her resignation