REWILDING
Awake …
I am both predator and prey,
every sense pricked
to the signals of danger, meat, fertility
and homecoming.
Alert …
I know about narrow escapes.
I have learned from my scars
the art of rewilding … to see before I’m seen
and to listen.
Every shadow is a hiding place
for the unexpected.
Aware …
I know about space and distance …
that fine line between flight and fight:
too far for a killing …
too close for a safe retreat.
Affected …
I know about conflict.
Turning away, pretending to be dead
can save your life sometimes … and yet
there are things to protect,
to fight or die for
and to back off … refusing to draw the line
is to hide among the living dead.
Ian McCallum
