Panther's Prey

On the prowl Sleek and silent Full moon, no howl Prelude to violence Elegant stride Through the pines Black as midnight Predator's eyes You pray, he preys Fate takes flight Holding his breath Timing it right Wind speaks through the pines A harvest moon lit path Hoofprints on the trail The Panther closes the gap Reading the ground Like words on a page The earth tells a story Of mistakes you made A scuff in the dust A branch out of place The trail never lies It shows me your face..... Ash from your fire Still warm to the touch You thought you moved on You didn't move much A stone turned over Fresh tracks by the creek The earth keeps your secrets For those who can read Patient and calm No anger to show One step at a time Where the lost horses go The horses stand restless Their tethers cut free The Panther takes back What they stole from me No words were spoken No warning was made Some debts were settled By choices they made