Boots

*originially published on my poetry blog, Seedlings*
written July 30-31, 2010

Boots stomp the packed earth,
masticating leaves and twigs
beneath their treads.
Two sets walk the trail:
one smaller,
the texture of her soles
still rough with newness;
the other
worn by pounds
of vegetation he's consumed.

Both pair reach the steps,
the larger lunging forward
to swallow two each stride,
the smaller left
to drink her fill alone.

She finds him,
later,
boots chomping
into sturdy bark like
an alligator's hold.
They attach themselves to
steady ground again,
ever-hungry for terrain.
Her boots protest,
satisfied with their bounty.

She stops,
to him mere pause in dining.
His stride opens
like another mouth to feed.
Boots dig in
to taste the softness of the trail.

Boots waver,
softly nibbling the dust
in circles.
They turn
from
marks that mar the turf
and steal away
unseen
like deer gracefully gliding
past the hunter's blind.