This morning, I cannot help but think of those 10 wolves massacred by the hands of a semi-automatic rifle in Alaska.
The darkness of the act has penetrated my heart and occupied my mind.
I offer the following prayer up for them and for the act itself.
We are living in a time when the mentality needed to allow such acts to occur is resurfacing. Or perhaps, it never really went away completely. Whether it’s trophy hunting of elephants in Africa, predator policies in Alaska, or state-sanctioned killing of wolves in the West, the more we refuse to see the beauty in their wildness, the more the wildlife in our midst is imperiled.
Each passing day, our planet is a little less compassionate for the violence committed upon the earth’s innocent creatures, and our world a little less beautiful for each life taken in the vanity of man’s inhumanity.
~
Take gentle refuge—
the violence is quick
in the dark hearts of men at the ready of anger.
Take quiet refuge
for the breath of peace to come,
soothing the sorrow, the anguish, the cries,
the damage unfolding for humanity’s eyes.
Take quiet refuge
to calm the noise of distress.
Only in the space can we see the clearing.
Witness tearful, aching heart silence in others by our side
in view of the bodies of lifeless wolves, still bears, silent raptors,
others creatures gone cold.
Taken by all who cannot see
by all who fail to know
the beauty of life that is here.
Taken from Earth, taken from us all,
taken from the systems giving life giving beauty giving wildness.
They do this to each other, they cry
And yet, you never do say, only until now
So we do it to them.
Who is next in their path,
the innocent, the frail, the meek.
Where is the protection,
our hearts cry softly.
Only in the voices crying louder
may their spirits find peace.
May the earth forgive men for all they do
in the name of anger and violence and ignorance and greed.
Man can be a travesty of creation,
a scourge upon the earth.
Yet some others may come redeem
for those acts committed,
the massacre of ten gorgeous, wild Alaskan wolves
breaks the heart of God himself.
~
Author: Denise Boehler
Image: Author’s Own
Editor: Catherine Monkman
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Beautiful and so sad and tragic. Thank you for honouring their lives.
Thank you, Alex, for reading ash sharing. It’s an honor that you take the time to pay attention, it’s the least we can do for them.
Sadness.
Yes, definitely. Thank you for reading, Monika, and connecting with us all. May more wolves be spared because this was brought to our attention.
Thank you Denise for honoring these beautiful beings and all beings that have gone cold on this earth at the hands of angry, greedy, ignorant Man. May the sacrifices be stopped before there is no being left except in memory.
Thank you for reading, Judy, and sharing your thoughts. It’s hard to know about, in our hearts and in our minds. And, it’s important we give voice to their lives, so those of us connected and conscious can feel strengthened in our unity.
What can we do to stop these heartless killers of beautiful animals? Don’t they know that wolves are very important to keep it’s surroundings in balance? The red neck who killed this family of wolves should be jailed!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and share your thoughts. It’s important we connect, so many of us feel struck in the heart for the wolves who are dying at the hands of ignorance and fear. Historically, this happened without much regard. Now, we have consciousness, connected voices and the power of unity to inform our new actions — speaking out, calling attention to the intrinsic value of each and every wild life on our planet, valuing animals for their inherent value in and of itself, separate from us people.
I’ve called Governor Walker’s office in protest, I’ve written letters to each member of the Alaska Board of Game. (I’ve posted on my website, wildsight.co). I’m working on an article on Alaska’s predator policies, which I hope to see published in Alaska, lest they feel those of us from the Lower 48 aren’t paying attention…
Stay tuned,
Such a beautiful, touching poem you wrote. It certainly touched my heart. It’s sad though to realize you wrote about the demise of those wolves in Alaska who were murdered for no reason other than they were wild wolves living their own existence among man. God’s heart must break everytime one of His beautiful creations is slaughtered. Is it any wonder when God created man, His heart was saddened when He saw the cruel hearts of men. Nothing has changed unfortunately.
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts, it helps me know that there are those who feel the same as I do about wolves and animals, in the broader sense. It’s the hardest aspect of caring for wolves, in particular, the most politically charged and controversial animal on the planet, I believe. And, it’s vital that those of us connected to their lives stay informed and speak up, as they cannot speak for themselves…
Any horrendous act as this brings about an outpouring of heartfelt connection, deep love and reverence for wildlife. It’s a tragic statement that we need such events to wake the larger consciousness, but it speaks to the hope for humanity that we respond in such gracious, heartfelt ways that we do.
Blessings,
Wolves are my favorite wild animals. I wish humans would just let wildlife and forests be, and not interfere…
Thank you for this beautiful piece.
Thank you for your thoughts and reading this, Sukriti. I completely resonate with you.
Sigh…I wish we could leave the wild ones to their own lives. Alaska is in financial straights and has been at war with its own wildlife for decades. It’s a political matter — under Democratic governorship, predator control was more compassionate and the laws protected wildlife. Now, it’s a free-for-all, until this November…
One thing I’ve suggested doing, on my website (wildsight.co) is that people contact the Governor’s office (Governor Walker) and let them know we are paying attention down here in the Lower 48…and those wolves and bears are living on federally-funded lands.
Stay tuned for future writings on wolves,
A very touching and beautiful tribute to the wolves and all other innocent beings taken to soon. Thank you xx
Beautiful poem. Animals are kindred spirits and wolves are among the most majestic. I don’t understand people who take pleasure or feel they have the right to end lives. Animal abuse breaks my heart on a daily basis. Thank you for sharing.