Once a boy reaches a point
so far into the woods
the world of his childhood
seems hopelessly lost,
he un-zippers his mouth
and screams
with such primal agony
that leaves turn
from red and yellow
to brown and fall.
At the edge of the woods
his mother fears
the forest monster
that bellowed its agony
must be fearsomely wounded
thus dangerous
and she goes back into the house
for the shotgun
unsure if it will protect her
from the beast if it emerges.
copyright © 2020 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 