I have seen a fox move
in silence through the city
and this I know

                                                            the trees breathe the fox
                                                            and the wet black pavements
                                                            shine for him

say what you will
about this world or the next
                        some things
                        are known
                        without knowing

                                                                                                                                   the fox knows
                                                                                                   as he moves through the silence
                                                                                                                          breathing the trees
                                                                                                                          and the pavements

the rain runs in rivers
through his red black fur
and the pavements are thick
with his thick foxy scent
and the rain rises
to meet him as he runs
and the pavements run
with rivers of his redness

                                                other worlds hurtle
                                                through his black red eyes
                                                                                    and then he’s gone
                                                                                    leaving his shadow

                                                                                                                   smoking and stamping
                                                                                                                                           in the air

                                                                                            First published in Etchings #12, 2013