Photography © Glenn Bowie
Cry Uncle
Wolf! the boy cried from somewhere on the hill. Strange, we thought. No one had seen a wolf in these parts for many years. That the boy might be in danger never occurred to us; it was curiosity that led us up the hill. There he was, or they were. Embracing. My Father! the boy exclaimed. No one had believed the huntsman. He was not drunk and he didn’t look crazy, but a boy living with wolves, who goes into a frenzy at the sight of blood and eats chickens raw. That was just too much to accept. We took the boy in out of pity. There were so many abandoned children in those days, what with the depressed economy, the broken homes, and the endless environmental catastrophes. Eventually the boy began to adjust to life in our village. But now, what were we to do? We offered the wolf a place to stay, not too big, but reasonably comfortable. Not surprisingly, he refused. “I think we’ll get it all back one day,” he said, as he went away with the boy.
Robert Witmer has lived in Japan for the past 46 years and is now happily retired after 40 years of teaching creative writing and critical thinking at Sophia University. He has made the most of his long holidays, traveling widely in many parts of Asia, including several Himalayan treks and long bicycle trips around the islands of Japan. Besides the time he spends with family, he spends his days reading, writing, camping in the mountains west of Tokyo, and playing petanque with friends from around the world.
Glenn Bowie is a published poet, lyricist, musician and photographer from the Boston area. He also owns and operates an elevator company that supplies custom-built elevators for clients from New England to Hollywood. The author of two poetry and photograph collections (Under the Weight of Whispers and Into the Thorns and Honey) from Big Table Publishing, he donates all profits from his books to various charities for the homeless and local animal shelters.