Journey aka OR7
What's his likeness amongst the north/south divide, amongst the
shifting winter light at high noon?
What's his call in the ghost of his likeness? When is the full moon
full? When will the warmth of his paw be a blessing,
his eyes friendly, his look the look of a god?
When will the wild forever be wild in the high rough, in the fallen
bark, in the scrub grass? How far
will he see from afar in the snow haze? How far?
Copyright © 2014 by Gerard Malanga. Used with permission of the author. This poem appeared in Poem-A-Day on March 10, 2014. Browse the Poem-A-Day archive.
"This poem pays homage to a lone gray wolf who in 2012 was seeking a mate across the vast Pacific Northwest. Along the way he became a symbol and a hero among wolves and Native Americans alike, accruing an almost cultlike status. He was known by the name, 'Journey,' and known to biologists as OR7. There are no sightings of him of late, but I wrote this poem so we don't forget."
—Gerard Malanga
Gerard Malanga
Gerard Malanga is the author of numerous books of poetry, including Tomboy & Other Tales (Bottle of Smoke Press, 2015), Three Broadside Poems (Bottle of Smoke Press, 2013), and No Respect: New & Selected Poems 1964-2000 (Black Sparrow Press, 2001).