Jupiter hangs above coyotes
who circle and call in response
come to a frenzy
then fade again into
the high woods.

Someone plays taps up here
no kidding and they go wild
once more bark and howl
like social commentary
or tortured souls—it’s hard
to tell the difference
if there is a difference.

L. Ward Abel’s work has appeared in hundreds of journals, and he is the author of three full collections and ten chapbooks of poetry, including American Bruise (Parallel Press, 2012), Little Town gods (Folded Word Press, 2016), A Jerusalem of Ponds (erbacce-Press, 2016), Floodlit (Beakful, 2019), and The Width of Here (Silver Bow, 2021). Abel resides in rural Georgia.