This was initially written in response to a prompt from Honeygloom in the Horror Haiku Club. The prompt was WOLVES and I posted the first stanza in the comments of that post. It wore sheep’s clothing For the soft comfort Because they made it feel good. Sheep said it was wrong. So they called it a monster And said it ate them. As if deception Is a tactic the wolf needs To catch and eat sheep. As if the flock weren’t Instigating a murder Of a gentle wolf . . . Which would be advantageous, More wolves which liked sheep And their soft clothing. In reality, The flock was deceived By false self preservation— By sheep in sheep’s clothes Which could not see past their nose Or their own comfort, Grabbing at power Not caring for sheep or wolf, Not truth and not love As sheep and wolf lives Are destroyed by the monster A few sheep contrived From soft comfy clothes Worn unexpectedly by A sharp-toothed creature To feel as it was, Soft and warm inside, A lone wolf in sheep’s clothing.
This is cool! Kind of a thought experiment in poetry. It introduces some interesting ideas about power structures and identity. Really interesting!
Thank you very much. I’m glad you found it interesting