Eric Stone

Foxes at Night

Foxes at night dance like fires under the stars.

Foxes at night sleep with long, pointed muzzles and soft closed eyes.

Foxes at night live where snowflakes flutter like shredded feathers.

Foxes at night smell the wetness of each other's breaths.

Foxes at night run from wolves that will tear the esophagus

           from their throats.

Foxes at night run from farmer's bullets burrowing like moles

           in their muscles.

Foxes at night make love in the snow-light of their dens until pups

           are born opening moons in their eyes.

Foxes at night dream of their cubs whose heads were severed

           by bears, found rotting the next morning.

Foxes at night seek mice under owl-brown leaves.

Foxes at night have bodies meatless as the legs of birds.

Foxes at night have shark teeth and the tongues of snakes.

Foxes at night have red and white coats rich as buttermilk.

Foxes at night twirl torch-tails and sing.

Foxes at night swim in human dreams when the sun drowns like egg-yolk

           into the sea.

Foxes at night live on the earth as if were a ripe blueberry in the dark.

Foxes at night live in the forests of the earth which are still ancient.

-The earth is their song.