From where does inspiration for a poem come? I am sure it is different for each writer, but for me, being in the wild, in a forest, or on a mountain or lake sparks creativity. One of my favorite times is walking the dog around midnight, especially with a bright moon. We would go into the forest and listen for the heavy hooves of startled deer, the call of owls, the howl of coyotes, and sometimes for animal sounds we did not recognize. For many years, that was my custom, first with one dog and then another, even in winter, and poems flowed from that. It is now four years since our last dog died and I not only miss him but also the midnight walks. We just got a new dog, a rescue. I am restarting the tradition of the midnight walk and, with her help, the writing of new poems.