Poem | Gray Fox

Gray Fox 
by Oscar Avina

Walking wherever I want
Moving around
Not letting people see me
I’m a gray, bashful fox

I wasn’t the best guy at making friends
Just like a gray fox who encounters humans and flees
I don’t like people touching me
Like scary violent short-tempered gangsters
When they get close to me
I get scared and run
Because I think they have a weapon
The weapon scares me like the possibility of falling off a cliff

Afraid of humans
I hate being photographed
The light of the flash burns my eyes like the sun’s rays
I know the world’s there;
But I can’t see it until my vision returns

I got my independence by showing respect
As a boy I was always alone
Proving that I’m trustworthy on the streets
Letting my parents now that I can take care of myself
Leaving my pack to find food in a camp site
Like smart fox that always finds food and gets away with it

I’m always dodging danger
Like people, cars and predators
Now I almost never travel alone
My pack is very unique
We complete each other
Five will always protect me

I leave the foothills to find a field with flat places to play with my brother
Showing discipline on a field
Leading on the court
I’m an athletic gray fox, avoiding injury

Now that I have all this knowledge
I will run around the woods
Teaching my family about nature
Talking about it at my school
Telling my friends
Using all of my knowledge for my future and job
I’m no longer a bashful, gray fox
Now I am a strong, outgoing individual
Ready to go live my fun and athletic life the way I want it to be