If I ever come upon her in the wild

It will be as two she-wolves

Encountering one another years after

One had tried to eat the other’s pups.

I imagine the chance encounter

Which will inevitably come

When I shop for groceries

Or take my meal on the patio

Or walk laps at the park—

All places she could just as easily be as me—

Will unravel us both,

If I can remember what her laugh sounded like

And how safe I was spilling out my pains to her.

If so, then the encounter between two she-wolves

Might have tail wagging and showing her belly to me

An apology, an unexpected, uncharacteristic vulnerability.

But I might not remember the love we shared

Instead, recalling only the anger

After she sent the other wolves to find me

When I was bleeding from my wounds.

So, even if she rolls over I might still growl

Watch her tuck her ears and tail

Running from my teeth.

Or maybe

This chance encounter between two she-wolves

Might end with parting ways unbothered

After we circle one another

Each evaluating and then deciding

She’s not worth my time.