Mean Think

Coyotes again,
That strangled yipping
In chilly predawn

That makes you wonder
If they’re just greeting
Each other, or if

They’re celebrating
A meal of a fawn.
The deer have been thick

Around town this year,
And there’ve been no more
Sightings or warnings

Of mountain lions
Since way back last spring.
Maybe the coyotes

Were able to score
Something bigger than
Jackrabbits or cats.

Does, fawns, and a buck
Have stripped all the leaves
From bushes nearby

Your rented windows,
But they still patrol
The sidewalk and porch.

You rock in your chair,
Eater of packaged
Foods from supply chains,

An ecosystem
Of domesticates,
Humans for humans,

Humans threatening
Humans. Coyotes
Can mean what you think.