The Red Fox

Please--NO NEW REVIEWS OR RATINGS. This piece is one I value as an early effort. I'm so grateful for the
number of reviews it has already received since it was written in 2006. I keep it to show me how I started vs where I am now. Thanks for reading this piece. I'm always delighted to have new visitors. Just no more reviews or ratings. Warmest thanks.


The Red Fox: unsafe especially when we're most hidden


This morning, I walked an old familiar path down to the river shaking
off sleep while drinking in the sweet smell of daybreak. Finding
comfort in the sound of the pine needles crackling beneath my feet, I
made my way down the steep hill with measured steps. There he was,
deep in the thicket. As beautiful a creature as I've ever seen. Half
hidden in the hollow of a fallen tree trunk just a few feet away. He sprang
from sleeping to standing--alert and defiant-- facing me head-on. Wary,
flirtatious and hissing. His tail swaying, as if to a melodic symphony--
from his neck to the dark crescendo of woods behind him-- fiery
red and mischievous.

He was at once handsome and beautiful. His eyes, sharp and confident,
stared directly into mine. His wiry body, strong runner's legs, and black
feet dug in, ready to sprint. His presence quickly shifted from mere
coincidence to lush meaning. His being exuded a sense of embattlement,
of a life lived on the run. Neither of us safe even when we are most hidden.
The red fox darted off, escaping, turning to look back, coming closer for a
final moment, then gone. Leaving only the reflection of his brutal destiny
in my eyes, I head home in the early morning shadows to excavate the
long white bones of another cold November day.




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A Memorable Review by Brian Keith Compton

I drank every word of this work with pleasure.. What a serendipitous revelation of an encounter with the fox and oneself.

I marveled at how you showed your connection with one of mother nature's pets. A moment filled with so much emotion that it is hard not to be changed after the confrontation.

What's more remarkable is how you poignantly relay this moment to me and put me there, not only on this visual plain but on a deeper emotional level that helps me connect with long forgotten feelings realized through this kind of self-reflection.

Bravo