The Sounds of Wapiti

I moved to a small rural town in Illinois

It was small, but it was a town, none the less.

I stepped out onto the porch.

I was contemplating what I left behind.

I watched the neighborhood activity.

It was different here.

A peculiar sound emerged above the tree line.

Behind the houses, the cries of an elk pulled at my heart.

The sounds of a bull pained in search of his female.

One would expect to hear this plea from the forest edges.

In perhaps, Montana, as I remembered it well.

He must be lost, I thought.

I must be lost.

I too had been separated from my companion.

I considered the confusion, my recall couldn’t be right.

Again, I heard the labored invitation.

If you’ve ever heard the wapiti, you’d believe its sound is unmistakable.

“Did you hear that?”

I whispered to the black cat who became my nightly partner

His, eyes widened as we listened to the sounds together.

Yes, this is abnormal.

I was startled by the neighbor passing on the sidewalk

He waived at me as he spoke into his cell,

“No, I haven’t seen him yet, but I hear him.

Yes, I’ll keep looking.” He concluded.

I nodded in return.

“Say have you seen a donkey? Some people ‘round here got Lama’s, but, my wife just had to get a donkey. Damn thing got loose.”

"No", I said, "I haven’t but, I think I’ve heard it too.”

"Okay, thanks."

I nodded again.

I looked down at the cat,

Yes, this is abnormal.