I’m not alone tonight.
I lay in my bed while a chorus begins.
Coyotes are yipping and howling.
Amplified by the waters of
a slow moving river
just beyond my window,
they sound, so close.
I imagine how many
huddled together,
tails tucked
under their bellies…taking turns.
A round of fireworks rips through the air.
The neighbors afraid,
try to scare them off.

Long ago, the coyotes used to be
human too.
Coyote People left their shelters
to run free.
Growing fur to match the wind
Dropping down on all fours
to feel the earth
against their hands and feet.
Making themselves cunning to
protect their innocence.
More fireworks.
If I were among the Coyote People tonight
I’d laugh at those hiding from the darkness
trying to drown out my songs with loud noises,
not safe from their own fear.

-Cecilia Soprano