Mabel’s been missing for a month—
the fliers we made have faded
and no longer serve their purpose.
You said she likely
found a quiet place
to sleep for a while.
I said she likely
joined the wolves
in the woods behind our house.
Lately, we’ve gone to bed
with the windows open,
and every bark we hear
sounds just like Mabel.
Last night, the barking started again,
so I slipped on my shoes,
grabbed a flashlight,
and ran into the woods.
Her bark began
to blend in with the rain
dripping off the branches.
I followed her call
across the creek,
and it kept getting
louder and louder—
until finally, I saw her bushy tail
running through the rhododendrons.
I ran faster and closed the distance,
but she picked up her speed
as we weaved through
the briar-lined laurel.
At least a mile in,
I heard more paws running
and realized we were catching up
to a pack of wolves.
When Mabel was nearly
next to them, I jumped
onto her back
and landed in our bed
where you were crying
and softly said,
“I saw her, I swear I did—
I saw where she was sleeping.”
Clint Bowman is a writer from Black Mountain, NC. He is the cofounder and facilitator of the Dark City Poets Society- a free community poetry group based out of the Black Mountain Library. Clint’s debut full-length collection of poetry, “If Lost,” was published in 2024 by Loblolly Press. Clint’s work has appeared in Poetry South, Louisiana Literature, Mud Season Review, Roanoke Review, and One Art, among others.
Social Media: on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety & @clint_bowman
More about my book “If Lost” can be found here