Your telltale footprints in the snow
let me know that you cruised my home
last night.

What did you think that you would find?
An opened door? A small pet for
a feast?

I thought you were a shy wild dog
I thought you to be a wily beast,
not bold.

But your predator yellow eyes
and whispered steps through the deep snow
tricked me.

Trickster. Kumokums. Nanabozho.
Maii’, funny, foolish, vain, fearsome,
ki-ote.

It’s my guess you suspect that I
want to capture your photograph.
I do.

But when I do find you close by
your moves are quick and elusive,
too fast.

Faster than grabbing my cam’ra
and then find you through the pinons
again.

So your telltale footprints are all
I can photograph in the snow
today.