I was pulling a sled of firewood
through the snow one morning
When I heard the sounds of a
deer running fast
 
I scanned the meadow below me
and I saw nature play its role
A lone male wolf was pursuing
a big whitetail buck
 
Both were large, both were in
perfect health, both strong
But in the wilderness here, a
balance is kept by nature
 
For with each hunt, there is no
guarantee it will end in a meal
This morning would reveal to me
the life and death wildlife face
 
I watched in awe as the buck put
distance between he and his pursuer
It looked to me like the deer was
sure to escape his fate
 
But then, for reasons I don't know
the whitetail suddenly stopped
He turned and stood his ground
as the wolf closed the distance
 
Soon a chess game was about to be
played out, each hoping to win
In such a confrontation, one usually
wins and one loses it's life
 
The wolf circled and circled as he
tried to catch his breath
While the buck lowered his antlers
with each tine being a sharp point
                                                                                                            
Then the wolf lay down in the snow
and I tried to figure out his plan
The large buck would be no match
for two wolves, or a pack
 
But in this situation it was a toss up
as to who would walk away
I sat quietly on my sled and watched
as the buck made the first move
                                                                                                                                               
He rushed the wolf, head held low and
I was surprised at the wolf's speed
The snow was deep, but he easily got
out of the way of the deer's rack
 
Several times the deer rushed the wolf
making him retreat and pant
The ritual went on for maybe twenty
minutes as if to tell the wolf
 
"It's no use; I am strong and won't be
a meal for you today"
Finally, the wolf turned and walked
away to find an easier meal
 
© 2002 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

The long awaited snows finally
came and created a blanket
Embracing mother earth with the
nourishment all things require
 
The morning's sunrise took my
breath away as I stood there
Light snows had fallen each day
and each night for a week
                                                                                                          
But last night's winds howled
and the snow fell heavily
Only once did I venture out to
the outhouse as I shivered
 
It had already reached knee
high by 8 o'clock that night
The snows pushed against
the door, as I grumbled
 
I had to use my boot to kick the
snow away to be able to get in
I took care of business quickly
making my way back inside
 
Well, at least in the backwoods
we don't linger in the potty
We get in, get done, get out, and
get back to our cabin
 
Once back inside the glow of the
fireplace warms my hands
I smile for a short moment knowing
many homesteaders lived this way
 
© 2003 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

As I sat on the porch of my log
cabin, nestled in the woods
With a slow, confident lurch he
walked out into my view
 
A small creek separated us as he
slowly looked over his domain
The salmon were running and it was
dinner time for the huge grizzly
 
A heavy coat of fur ensured warmth
as he concentrated on feeding
Massive claws, solid muscle and a
mean temper, made him boss
 
I kept my 45-70 close to me as we
both looked each other over
For a moment, our thoughts were one
as we considered the other an intruder
 
Was it I that was the intruder on his
40 square miles he called home?
Or was he the intruder on the 5 acres
that I held the title too?
 
Neither of us made any move or gesture
nor any act to provoke the other
Instead, he disregarded me as a worthy
opponent, and went about his business
 
He casually looked down at the salmon
busily swimming to spawn upstream
And with the flick of his huge paw, he
tossed salmon after salmon out
                                                                                                              
He held the salmon between his claws
and stripped off the skin, to dine
Savoring the eggs first, before eating
his fill until his belly was full
 
That afternoon was a time of awakening
within my soul, for I was the intruder
I intruded and scarred his land because
he owns all his eyes surveys
 
© 2003 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

The first snow fall has arrived
falling all night long
When I awoke, I was surprised
to see so much snow
 
As mother earth blankets the
meadow in which I live
The wildlife are seen more
often as they seek food
 
Snow shoe hares hop towards
the creek, as I smile
Deer and elk kick the snow to
get to the grass underneath
 
The bald eagle and red-tailed hawk
share the skies as they compete
For animals big and small who could
not survive winter's harshness
 
The lone wolf howls in the distance
calling to its mate
Someone that he loves till his last
breath, one I rarely catch a glimpse
                                                                                                               
The grizzly bear passes my cabin and
I pause, looking at his tracks
For this is his land, his home which I
am using for a short time
                                                                                                                     
© 2002 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

They stood side by side looking
down at me from the ridge
A pair of beautiful timber wolves
as curious of me as I was of them
 
The larger one nuzzled his mate
and she returned to him kisses
I stood there in my garden, as
they looked over their land
 
For I was the intruder here as I
farmed these 5 acres in Alaska
This was my third fall here in
the Matanuska valley
 
Each shared affection and the
same playfulness as humans
And I smiled ear to ear because
wolves stay mates for life
 
They don't trade up or down or
think blondes have more fun
They don't seek the material things
or 50% community property
 
They simply tell the other, look I
am lonely, and would adore you
I would be attentive and protective
and spoil you if you accept me
 
It's not a hard decision for wolves
because they don't want to be alone
They thrive on companionship and
cooperation means their survival
                                                                                                            
It is sad that we as humans refuse to
learn and practice the way of the wolf
Life just seems too short to play games
when it comes to falling in love
 
© 2004 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

In this one room log cabin
I live the simplest life
Two oil lamps give off a soft
glow when the sun retreats
 
This time of year, I walk as
quick as I can to the outhouse
For it isn't just the coldness
I fear, but danged mosquitos
 
There's a beaver pond not too far
if you head down toward the alders
I have sat there for hours and enjoyed
of a diligent family of beavers
 
I have tended two gardens all summer
one for me, one for the wildlife
I have set aside a portion of my orchard
harvest, so that other's will survive
 
Yet each winter, some have died, and it
saddens me, for each had a name
A personality, and to me they were what
I called neighbors and friends
 
I have watched with envy, the affection
and playfulness of a pair of wolves
The kindness expressed towards each other
could teach us humans many things
 
© 2004 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Living Off The Land

The wilderness can be a very harsh
place to create a lifestyle
One with nature, mother earth and
the heaven's and stars above
 
At first, the aloneness is frightening
if you have not prepared yourself
I feel it affects women far harsher
then it does for men
 
The predator’s come searching for food
in the day time and the night
Sniffing and scratching, wondering who
has intruded onto what they call home?
 
Food must be stored in a cache twelve
feet off the ground, or you'll starve
For the power of a grizzly bear can in
truth rip apart almost anything
 
A Ham radio is a source of comfort as
homesteader's chat to one another
A link to air lift in new supplies or if
injured, a way to travel to the hospital
 
But many would never trade this paradise
this peacefulness for city life
The air is fresh, the water clean and each
day is a new day with Mother Nature
 
© 2003 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

 

Twenty acres adjacent to a river
in the midst of mountains
For me paradise doesn't get any
better that what surrounds me
                                                                                                          
So many people get caught up in
the rat race, rush, rush, rush!
Hurrying, scurrying like mice who
are trying to get no where fast
 
Abundant fishing, hunting, with the
stars so close you can touch them
The nights are spectacular when the
only light at night is the moon
 
I can canoe up or down stream to
see a distant neighbor
Or just drift along sleepily as I watch
eagles soar and wolf pups play
 
Life is a box of chocolates my friend
you never know what you're gonna get
But for me, I feel blessed to be living
in a place where I feel it's paradise
 
© 2003 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

I was pulling up corn stalks
in my garden one morning
Turning the soil for next years
planting, and as I toiled
 
I kept getting the feeling that
I was being watched
Row by row, I pulled up the
vegetables that had spoiled
 
Letting them mulch and return
to the soil, as the sun rose high
The fall winds rustled the leaves
and a chill was in the air
                                                                                                          
It was then that I heard a twig
snap crisply near the fir trees
I scanned the woods unsure of
what it was I might see
 
Then, I saw him, a lone wolf as he
peered back at me intently
I wasn't afraid of just one wolf, nor
was he afraid of me I felt
 
He was in the prime of his health
his coat of fur, heavy
He was ready for the harshness of
the coming winter, I knew
 
I went about finishing up the garden
and as I headed for my cabin
He slowly began walking from tree to
tree, as I whispered good-bye
 
© 2003 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)

 

 

As the full moon bathed
the forest in a glow
From my bedroom window
I saw the lone wolf
 
He turned his head upward
his howl so lonely
I wished a wish that he'd
find a mate, for him to love
 
They say wolves stay with
their mate until death
How sad we as human's have
not learned such devotion
 
I built this small cabin in the
territory of this wolf
He tolerates me, and the scars
that I have made upon his land
                                                                                                             
He neither kills my livestock
nor accepts food left out
He is content to roam these woods
covering many miles
 
Ever searching for his next meal
I long to understand his ways
For he is magical, mystical, as he
fades into the shadows
 
© 2002 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)