Tame

Under the white canopy of a church archway suffused in sunlight, a luminous red fox with stormy black eyes stands mesmerized by a ring of vacationers. Each type of creature staring down the other, each edgy. Seconds pass, or perhaps minutes, neither man nor animal truly conscience of the time. Then, the wild fox gives up something or gives in to something, and turns revealing his dog-like tail. The tail starts to remind them of their own cats and dogs at home. A man in the crowd gently coos to the fox, slightly bends, extends his hand, and begins to move towards it.  









Lisa Alexander Baron is the author of four poetry collections, including While She Poses, prompted by visual art (Kelsay Books). New magical realism flash fiction and poetry appears in Five on the Fifth, Your Impossible Voice, and Backwards Trajectory. She loves her work as a circulation assistant at a public library where she hears about patrons’ strange and beautiful reading habits.

See more of her work in 12.3 and 12.3

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