Coyotes trot, tails down
along fenced fields

Domestic dogs flare nostrils
capture long-lost scents

of thick fur dank with dew, ears
prick, hear wild fertile females’ whines

neighbors’ cats slide under cars
rabbits slip into deep holes

grateful the moon has waxed
to a slight sliver, a brief veil

of night that settles, silent
but for the welcome yips of pups

when mother brings their supper
while people dream in the dark.