by Laura Rodley
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| Coyote reaches Alcatraz via Instagram |
Escaping the prison of civilization,
to Alcatraz, the desperadoes prison
that’s now a tourist site,
a lone coyote swam
one and a half miles
to land on the rocky beach,
emaciated and shivering.
Despite predictions of his demise,
the coyote, now named Floyd,
has gained weight.
How did he survive the swim?
Though San Francisco Bay
has warmed in increments,
the coyote swam in temps
similar to those
on December 17, 1962
when escaped prisoner John Paul Scott
swam in the other direction,
away from Alcatraz.
Suffering from hypothermia,
Scott was captured, and returned
to serve out his sentence.
Perhaps his ghost whispers now
into the coyote Floyd’s ears.
Perhaps Floyd whispers of his own escape,
and bring him back.
Pushcart Prize winner Laura Rodley’s latest books are Turn Left at Normal by Big Table Press, and Counter Point, Legacy Award finalist. Her Ribbons and Moths: Poems for Children by Kelsay Books was selected as a finalist in the “Animals/Pets/Nature” Category in the 2025 Independent Author Network (IAN) Book of the Year Awards, won the 2024 International Book Award for Children's Nonfiction, eon the 2025 Bookfest for Nonfiction Outdoors, and Bronze in the Moonbeam Book Awards.
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