I was on a fishing trip in Alaska the first time I ever heard wolves howl. All day long I had been on the lookout for bears. I was with two guys who were born and raised in Alaska, and they had a lot of advice for me.
“Don’t want to have a bear sneak up on you, and you sure as hell don’t want to sneak up on a bear. You gotta make noise so the bear knows where you’re at. And if you see one, don’t run from it because that will trigger its predatory chase instinct.”
Of course, I forgot all about the bears when the wolves started howling late that night. It’s an eerie sound – it stirs some primordial memory in you that you didn’t even know you had.
“Better throw a couple logs on the fire,” one of the guys said.
“Wolves won’t get too close to a fire,” the other guy told me. “Not usually.”
Here’s a haiku I wrote commemorating the experience. Enjoy.
stoke the dying coals
flames jump up and dance like sprites
holding wolves at bay
Is this like a sequel-ish haiku to the other one you posted months ago?
Beautiful ♥♥
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I love this! Beautiful imagery. 😊
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Thank you!
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For such few paragraphs, it paints a beautiful story for the reader. Great writing, loved it.
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Glad you liked it. I haven’t been to Alaska in about fifteen years now, but I still draw a lot of inspiration from those memories.
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Sometimes I sit down and write two or three haiku at a time. I’m sure there are some connective threads between them, even if it happens at a subconscious level. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s really awesome to have an audience to interact with. I used to write these on scraps of paper and put them in a drawer. When the drawer got full, I’d empty it out into the recycling bin.
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Great to know your story ♥. My pleasure 😄
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I can imagine… looks like a beautiful place
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Hi Hawk, I had to smile when you wrote how you forgot about the bears when the wolves started to howl:) I have a new appreciation for haiku after reading your posts. It is amazing how few words can tell a story:) Erica
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Thank you so much for the feedback. Haiku is an amazing literary form. It helps tremendously in all aspects of writing.
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