Songs of Wolves, Poems of Man

by David E. Shellenberger on March 5, 2013

As we advocate for what we believe is important, whether liberty, leadership, or the well-being of wildlife, we need to reach hearts as well as minds.

Those of us who love wolves love to hear the howl of wolves. Enjoy the video posted yesterday by Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York: “Glee Club Gone Wild!

It’s a diverse group of singers: 1 Arctic gray wolf (seen in video), 2 Canadian/Rocky Mountain gray wolves, 7 red wolves, and 15 Mexican gray wolves!

Wolves are romantic creatures, and their howls summon poets. My fellow libertarian, Troy Camplin, published “Walls or Wilderness” on March 2nd:

Come into the fields and sunshine and play
With me, the wolves, the meadow larks — the stem
Of thorns holds roses, the color and scent
Are dangerous to your fears — let them die
And live your life dangerous and wild, spent
In beauty and love, where joy makes you cry.

And today Dr. Camplin published “OR-7,” celebrating Journey, the wandering wolf I wrote about in January, “2012 Wild Animal of the Year: Wolf OR-7.” Here is an excerpt from the poem:

[B]ut when the moon
Is out, his haunting howl crowds out the rounds
Of hooting owls – he hears a calling loon

Instead of what he hopes to hear – another
Gray wolf to join him on his namesake quest,
To journey on with Journey as a mate
And hope across the new Pacific West.

Thank you to all the good folk who care about wolves, appealing to hearts as well as minds.

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