The National Writing Project celebrated teachers, writers, and park rangers on Tuesday, October 17th with poet and author Nikki Grimes. She graciously answered questions and read from her new book A WALK IN THE WOODS, then ended our session with the prompt: While walking in the woods, you encounter a wild animal. Write from the animal’s perspective.
This was a timely prompt for me. The day before, one hungry-looking coyote met me on my driveway. There was only room for one of us.
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coyote morning
dawn
dim
chill
safe?
scent
hunger gnaws
path
pause
BLARE!
SCARE!
FLEE!
huff
hunt
grrr…
©draft, Patricia J. Franz
October 18, 2023
Patricia Franz is a kidlit writer and published poet. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Oh dear, Patricia, you seem to have many encounters with hungry wildlife. I remember the mama bear and her cub’s visit. Your poem has excellent voice! I love it! I’m so glad you had something to scare the coyote; on your driveway is way too close. Luckily, we don’t have them in our neighborhood, but I know they live not that far away. Coyotes have spread to the east, from the west and have become a nuisance to many people around here. I about fifteen minutes from Saratoga Springs, NY in a rural area where they keep cutting down the woods and building more houses. Unfortunately, the cutting of trees gives the many deer around here not enough places to go except in your yard to eat your flowers and tomato plants.
Most coyotes around here weigh 35-45 pounds except when they mate with wolves. In 2021 a hunter south of my area thought he shot a coyote, in a coyote-killing contest and it turned out to be more wolf than coyote when it’s DNA was tested. However, when our DEC had the animal’s DNA tested, they said it was more coyote, even though the test said it was 65.2 % wolf, 34.8% coyote. That didn’t explain the eighty-five-pound weight of the animal and was criticized because it was more wolf. The second place the animal’s DNA was tested determined it was a gray wolf from the Great Lakes Region. Gray wolves from northern Canada weigh around 80 pounds and Eastern Wolves from Algonquin Park weigh around the size of a coyote. I don’t agree with coyote-killing contests or shooting wolves. Sorry to go on and on. I thought the information might interest you.