In a bitter cold dream, I find myself
My fur pulled close around me
There is the smell of snow in the air
I hear them first before I see them
The wolves of Rome
They come from everywhere and nowhere
Paws treading softly, nipping at each other
They spy me alone in my dream
Moving in a wide circle
They surround me, snarling
Their eyes lock to mine
Eyes of fierce beauty
Large and bold they are
Teeth gleaming in the night
Like diamonds in Juno’s crown

There is moonlight in my dream
It bounces off the Forum stones
Sending glittering shards into the night
Suddenly, the wolves rush at me
The largest growling as he leads his pack
In an attack against an enemy
Their fangs are their weapons of glory
Just as suddenly, I am running with them
Through the city we race
Down avenues, between temples
Old stones standing mysterious, glorious
Over bridges of ancient time
The wind echos with a faint
Ring and clatter of swords and shields
Ghostly figures rush towards each other
Mist rises from the fields

Entering a wood thick with trees
We dart and weave between the trunks
Branches whip at us, my ankles, my face
But I feel nothing
Nothing can deter us
Quirinus has called and we must answer
Entering a clearing, all haste ends
The pack meanders, noses to the ground
As if looking for a scent
I move away from them then
Stopping at the edge of a precipice
Below stands Eternal Rome
The Tiber shimmers in the moonlight
Campus Martius pale among shadows
The Pantheon, the Colosseum
Stalwarts of a grand plan
The roads seem strangely empty
I shiver and again pull my fur close about me

Overhead, stars shine bright, twinkling
The flash of a comet streaks across the sky
Its afterimage lingers with a white heat
Sending out shimmering waves
So that the dream ripples and dissolves