The Coyote’s Den

Down the road pines stand in dark clumps,

and tiny creeks cut through hills

and under roads

carrying icy waters from Mountains

to valleys.

A house sits at the end of the

road

that turns muddy with fall rain.

Empty hallways echo.

Clouds blanket distant Mountains,

not in a warm way,

but the way a bed feels when you

get home,

and crawl into winter sheets left

untouched.

Clouds blanket the Mountains,

and fall into the empty space

between,

lowered by frozen winds, which

howl

over gnarly rooted trees, and

howl

over houses scattered,

like litter tossed around a

garbage can.

No Deer,

or Elk,

or Bear live here anymore-

only Coyote and Crow.

Anthony Harper is a new writer who recently left the United States Navy, after serving four years. Originally from Baltimore Maryland, he now resides in sunny Pensacola Florida with his dog Maggie Lamar-Jackson Harper. Find him on twitter @thesunalsosets_