I am the Hunter

I am the hunter
The master of my environment
I walk alone in my domain
Scanning through my dark eyes
An empty tundra landscape.

Watching for movement
The wind stirs up the loose dry snow
It swirls across the ice
A miniature whirlwind
In the bitter cold

The only sign of summer
The intense sunlight
Glaring off the white canvas
The giant mosquitoes
Flying at my face
Disturbing my attention
I can smell the seals
Burrowed under the ice

I make my way
Slowly, I am in no hurry
The artic fox watches
Keeping his distance
He follows
In the sea
The beluga surfaces
A plume of water
Escaping from the blow hole
It too, keeping an eye
On me.

The scars, a constant reminder
With fear comes respect
Or is it just fear?

Underneath my feet, my paws
The seals keep still
But it is too late
I have picked up the scent
With a great crash
I pound the ice
One, two, three times

Only a matter of time
The fox, the beluga
Witnesses to my destruction

Andrew Crane