PART IV
THE WORLD IS A CAGE
Songs 9-11
9. interlude 4
(lightning striking the ground below)
1:06
what loud and
constant sound
to hear my heart
beat and pound¹
1. Currently, in the winter of 2021, gray wolves are not federally protected anywhere in the U.S. In Colorado, at this time, wolves are protected by the Colorado Endangered Species Act. The listing as state-endangered is independent of federal listing. So, it is currently illegal to kill a wolf in Colorado. Colorado's 2004 plan for migrating wolves still applies to the few wolves that have made it into the state on their own (one lone survivor in Moffat County and a pack in Jackson County). However, those wolves are completely unprotected the moment that they step into Wyoming, where they can be shot on sight.To the rhythm, our movements, wild and curled
You raced, rushed and bound
To me, my side, forever found
what loud and constant discord
what is that thunderous sound²
2. In other states, the war on wolves rages. In places like Idaho, Montana and Wyoming repeated wolf killings illustrate a lack of true consequence and shooters continue to be immune from federal prosecution. In Idaho, around 500 wolves have been killed in the last two years. A wolf pack that was reestablishing in California in 2019 mysteriously vanished and is presumed to have been killed.
In Oregon, it is said that nearly 5% of Oregon’s Wolf Population has been killed on behalf of livestock industry despite losses on average amount to only 0.001% of Oregon’s livestock. State laws in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah are inadequate regulations to conserve wolf populations. They strive to either prevent wolf populations from becoming established, or else confine their populations to the inadequate minimum thresholds established by the Federal Wolf Recovery Plan.
These state laws not only jeopardize wolf populations within the states where they occur, but they also jeopardize rangewide wolf recovery because they impair the ability of dispersing wolves to establish populations in their historic ranges in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and other western states. While these State’s conservation efforts continue to falter, the killings continue.Is lightning striking the ground below
Enclosing a blood red circle
Under the moon, I fear I hear
A shriek, a cry, a bellow
10.
hell’s fury
7:04
As blue as a shadow
As blue as a shadow of a hole at night
Leaving for the buzzards
Leaving for buzzards their blood and might
Their bodies are barren
their bodies are barren,
left hardened and cold³
3. When a pack member dies, especially an alpha or a long time member, the pack mourns. This mourning process has been witnessed in both captivity and in the wild. The wolves will howl a most sorrowful long, low howl. Wolves will also not play and be less active during this time. The duration of the mourn varies.
eyes that were bright
with brilliant gold
4. The loss of parent in a pack can have a devastating impact on the social group cohesion. In some packs, human-caused mortality of the alpha female or male can cause the entire pack to dissolve.Now empty, purposed beasts, with sight
Can’t have the gift of living right⁴
I will maim and kill him
I’ll live up to what they think I am
Tear him to shreds
Leave nothing but bones
i’ll change crossroads
to closed roads
Bright white
By the light
Of my fiery skull, you know
This world is a cage
I’ll break out, show what they want me to be
Tear him to shreds
Leave nothing but bones
I will change crossroads to closed roads
You're bathed in blood and there's hell to pay
Your hackles are up and your mind is made
Far be it from me to tell you who to maul
But baby please don't kill them all
what is that constant
cataclysmic sound?
11.
bright white
4:59
bite, teeth, gnash, float
To bright white, i float
The world’s rife with terror
In each twitching shadows
There’s monsters and wildfires and bloodshed and ammo
Her ghost left me lifeless without even a goodbye
At night I go lonesome and scream at the sky⁵
5. Wolves generally mate for life, but this isn’t always the case. If an alpha member or a pack is killed, a lone wolf may leave in search of another dispersing wolf. If a disperser is successful in finding a mate and a new territory, they will breed and thus, a new pack is formed.