Tyler Bigney: Sunk Their Teeth In

COYOTES


Last night I stepped out onto the back deck
of my parent’s house with a cup of green tea,
attempting to trace back all the memories
that brought me back here. 

A little snow lay on the ground. I strained 
my eyes to see through the dark 
and into the woods. I couldn’t see a damn thing.

Instead, I stood listening to the coyotes
and a rabbit screaming
as the coyotes sunk their teeth in. 

The house was empty – save memory
and the sounds of the television. 

I closed my eyes, and behind my tired eyelids
I saw pictures – orchids, purple dahlias, a pink moon,
and a white crow. 

I stood very still, trying to understand
and coming to understand
that I don’t understand anything anymore.

Editor’s Note: This poem appeared on our old site.

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Tyler Bigney was born in 1984. His short stories, travelogues, and poetry have appeared in Nerve Cowboy, Poetry New Zealand, The Legendary, Iodine, and Underground Voices, among others.