Where did they go,
the animals who lived by the river
when the river rolled in its bed
before the flood nudged it from sleep?

Where are the wild pigs now
who used to root in the brush
before the rains
wave-draped their hollows?

Where do the coyotes hide
who last night wailed
below my window?

Where have they gone,
the women who slept on the banks
and their children, drawn to water?

Linda Scheller is the author of Fierce Light (FutureCycle Press) and Wind & Children (Main Street Rag). Recent honors include Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. Her manuscript Laurels was a finalist for the Aryamati Poetry Prize and shortlisted for the Concrete Wolf Louis Prize. Ms. Scheller is vice president of Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center. Her website is lindascheller.com.