November

“One beast and only one howls in the woods by night.”

I’m dedicating this month to my blog’s namesake. What with the internal and external storms, it seemed fitting.

“Step between the gateposts of the forest with the greatest trepidation and infinite precautions, for if you stray from the path for one instant, the wolves will eat you. They are grey as famine, they are unkind as plague.”

Biblical floods in the north, typhoons in the far east: climate change is causing the forest to stir. There are other climate changes this autumn: something about a sudden, unexpected twenty-day cycle squeezes the oxygen out of the air. It replaces blood with lead. The ensuing battle is between the environment and reason. No doubt the breakout of peace will come with the blue crystal clarity of December, but I’m not sure who or what will win.

“The wolfsong is the sound of the rending you will suffer, in itself a murdering.”