There’s a wolf’s tale, of a tail
caught in a snare, as winter snared
at the loner too; cold fitted with sharp
teeth, gnawing at what was left.
A stray dog strayed too far
from the pack— and being a stray;
it was easily led astray.
So the wolf bit through its loss—
cutting its tail short to keep its tale going.
A lesson hidden in the fur: sometimes
freedom asks for a piece of you first.