Wolf-Cryer

By Matt Hetherington

then they mourned her like a suicide

then they sent her to the forests

then they had great feasts of dead red meat and special chemicals

then they danced briefly and sang badly

then they slept in the good hotels and dreamed of their ancestors

then they woke and hurried home

then it poured for twelve weeks straight

then they saw the sun was shining and the grass was green

then they laughed and were fine

then the rains began again

then the waves were over the towns

then they secured their gates and kissed their children

then they moved their numbers to better places again

then they heard the words in her cries

Matt Hetherington is a writer, music-maker, and very average gardener based in northern New South Wales, Australia. He has been writing poetry for over 40 years, and his seventh collection, ‘About Alone Away’, was published by Walleah Press in December 2024.
https://walleahpress.com.au/Matt-Hetherington-About-Alone-Away.html