Heart of Wolf

Rome, Italy

(Parco della Caffarella)



The man saw him coming from a long way, climbing up the hill in the shadow. He waited for the animal to enter the stream of light coming from the setting sun that cut across the dark. As he did and shone in all his wild beauty, even if rationally he thought it was not possible, the man knew he had seen the heart of a wolf. The wolf and the city further east were glowing in the last light of the day. The wild and the tamed. The man looked at the city and thought of how for thousands of years the faith of humans in taming the world had appeared unshakable. But things had changed. Now, it seemed more like wilderness could save us. The wild reclaiming the land, reclaiming the ocean and maybe even our souls. The man looked for the wolf again. He had crossed the light stream back into the shadow and was walking away by the trees. The man knew he wanted the courage of the wolf. He longed for the heart of the wolf.