The Hunt

By Jonathan Perry

I.

The hound bounds to the smell

Trained, loyal and determined.

Its wet nose pushes aside brush

Like an imperialist elephant

Stomping through a jungle.

It can’t tell the distance of its game

Only where it’s been.

The dignified mongrel gives a triumphant

Trumpet of a howl.

It can see the apricot glow of orange fur.

II.

The fox dodges branches as it flees the sound

Feral, instinctual, clever.

It rushes forward then pierces through grass

It’s an orange bullet

As it shoots through the forest

Its pursuer draws near.

Warned by the mutt’s horrifying bellows

The fox dives into a river.

Losing its scent in the current.