I was on two knees,

hands grasping needles

of pine and silt, when

I saw the sun eclipsed

by a primordial silhouette

The sounder entire

had come to me -

boars, sows, and

striped progeny -

descending in numbers

towards the gorge,

and diverging around me

like a pierced rivulet

But the three behind

halted ten feet beyond

with eyes straining,

frantic to reveal me, 

and footsteps unsure - 

as if suddenly aware

of their penultimate

miscalculation

and pleading

for mercy

- Referring to an encounter I had with wild boar in southern Spain. -