Coyote

She was observing us, still
with her golden brown silhouette 
She did not move the whole time
while my own dog, Scooby
was walking around 
oblivious
taking in the smells 
of the earth

I noticed
and waited
hoping she would stay

Should I stay still 
or should I walk a bit
to see if I could see her better? 

I walked towards her
and she didn’t move
until Scooby noticed her

Scooby froze and stared at her for a minute
and suddenly 
the coyote ran back into the woods
leaving me and Scooby in the field
watching
wishing 
she would return

She looked a lot like my own dog
who I sometimes observe pouncing on a toy
her back arched and frozen in the air
and I sometimes wonder 
how much coyote she has in her

I also envision the same coyote 
rolling in the grass on her back
with a stupid grin on her face
like my dog does every time I take her to a field

Before I left
I threw one of Scooby’s old tennis balls to that area
thinking
maybe she would come back 
and have something to play with
or at least smell our scent
and in my dreams
thinking it was our gift to her

—Miki Tesh