Something seems to be missing as the hunt or hunted are fused in one. They could be separated and the story brought out who was the hunter what was the prey a circle that needs to be broken.
The words are brill though, and maybe I am dull today.
Yours Ian.T

Even the stealthiest hunter fall prey to that ultimate predator....time..............stan

silk covered
Not sure silk isn't too smooth to suggest fur
backlit sun
the sun is not backlit, it is the back lighting, you have overcondensed, you need to say backlit by the sun.

soft rainfall upon parched lips
soft is a tired adjective when applied to rain

reason smears
wet upon the trigger
Like this image.

instincts bewail
the execution
Not sure this is true, the instinct to kill is part of life, all nature kills to eat and culling is about survival,

history muddles the clean trail
'history' is a very broad term to use in this context

history of knowledge
experience honed
he bends to kiss the trail

reverence sharpened
indecision cautioned

hunter hunted

these last 3 Ss dilute the poem somewhat, 'he bends to kiss the trail' sounds melodramatic, the repetition of 'history' doesn't help and the ending sounds sententious, as if you are drawing some deep meaning the situation doesn't warrant.

ps Your poem is not at all obscure, if someone is baffled by your work, check out their poetry, if it is amateurish or shows little imagination, ignore their comments. And don't ever explain your poems, its tedious and comes across as defensive. ( I wish I could follow this advice)
kind regards
Ross

its a choppy read
but then poetry is as such...

"he bends to kiss the trail
softened with her spoor..
A reverence sharpend..
indecision softened with
the taste of her caution..."

Just my addition and or take
on your works..

In the dark side of humanity there is
so much infinite detailing
less issues of feeling and more
focus on the focus
obsession and the drive
of it..the need...

(having been there so often)

I like your minimalisms though
the singular lines feeding into
the collection of a poem.....

in life there is no given escort
to works..just the imagination
and mind...the seeing about the
corners which I think more women
then men do..

My comment was made in relation only to Ida's mentioning that she was worried about her poem being obscure, I simply took that idea to the next step, it had nothing to do with your commnet, which didn't say either that you didn't understand the poem or that you found it obscure, it was a general comment about poetry forums and comments made on them. How you involve Esker is beyond me since he commented after me.
I post and comment on four poetry forums and spend a few hours on it each day, since I'm a retired English teacher with time on my hands its something I like to do. I try to employ the critical techniques I learned at Uni and comment on any poem that I find interesting.
I'm sorry if you thought the comment was directed at you I would never be that vile, to anyone, and respect your opinion.
all the best
Ross

Thank you for that clarification as to your comment to Ida's work.
It came as quite a shock to read its implication.
Though I think that your comment was badly worded and if you then say it was entered before Esker's comment that made it even more pointed.
I am one of the few people that reads all the poetry in the unpublished of
Neopoet and I comment on as many as possible.
A good example is your "Day Out" poem I commented on the other evening, as with some of my pieces it is missed and left in the unpublished stream.
Why other poets can't at least acknowledge the write's of others I fail to understand, some of them even say they struggle to write a piece of poetry for days.
There are many poets on this site, that use it, to what seems to store their poetry no matter what, and they cannot be bothered to comment yet expect us to notice their every word.
It is about time this was put right, I am a member of a few sites and time is a small problem, some of the sites won't publish works unless the poet has commented on at least three other poems.
I notice on your Profile (These I also check) that your publication record is around the same as mine, I try not to comment on the way poetry is set out as I left school at 15 to join the Royal Air Force so poetry took a backseat, this is where Neopoet is a great help.
I shall remove my comment on your reply and leave it at that, but please read your PS, and see what it implies whether you meant it in that way or not,
Yours Ian.T

I am involved as I am a poet here..Basic simplicity and
we comment on eachs work!!

Thank You Ida...

looking forward to your works!!

Mr Wolf..

Leave your comment, this is a forum, staunch debate should be encouraged, it is not a mutual admiration society. I thought a lot about your comment and realized what I said was ok but in the wrong place, I've been thinking a bit about poetry forums in general and what they offer and what are their drawbacks, I got carried away.
As you say most forums insist on 3 crits for one post, some limit the number of poems you can post to one a week, others have sections, some with strict guidelines as to how to critique. (Algonquin's Table has a Workshop section and its guidelines on critiqueing are worth reading) Neopoet has a friendly, gentle atmosphere, forgiving and generally appreciative, I probably stand out like a sore thumb with my academis style crits. But as you know many forums are ruthless and very critical, with no holds barred, makes poets more aware of their faults but also creates a spirit of competition and bullying that seems the antithesis of art. Depends where you're at and where you want to take your poetry.
regards
Ross