The tricksters

They run like ghosts
the coyotes
twirling from head
and tail 

turning with the swift fury
of the stirred dust devil

and just as quickly 
stopping
on a small outcropping
with a sharp stillness

to gaze and make
contact, to let 

you know they’ll be
gone in a flash,
just like you, leaving
their markings

in secret places
of the field.