It’s a beautiful March morning. I went out for a walk with the camera earlier, and when two deer stopped in their tracks and posed for me, it made my day.
up ahead,
these two does
didn’t hide
or go a-runnin’,
but instead,
struck a pose
when they eyed
me a-comin’
–photo by me
so why did
the deer cross the road?
nobody
really knows–
but i hope it wasn’t to make
a feast for the crows
–photo by me
The shivering, young doe said, “Hey mate,
Tell me why it’s so cold as of late.”
Well, I knew right away
She’d been born around May,
And so all I could say was, “Just wait!”
–Photo by me
–photos by me
Finally, enough snow has melted for me to get out here in the woods woods. I’m glad to see the deer doing well after a mild winter; they seem to be in pretty good shape. Their coats have quite a few nicks and cuts in them, but that’s to be expected the way they’re always bounding over farmers’ barbed-wire fences around here. On the other hand, they’re much safer from the wolves in snow, so there’s always that.
it soothes my soul to
be back out here among our
woodland wanderers
–Photos by me
i saw the deer, the deer saw me
we bonded telepathically
she sent me vibes that she would wait
and then ran out in front of me
so if your psyche seems entwined
with roadside deer, i think you’ll find
that as a human being like me
you cannot know the cervine mind
–photo by me
I drove out to the farm to check on Skittles. I was worried about her because she’d been venturing out into the wilds as of late, and with the human scent on her, I was concerned that she might not be accepted by her own kind any more.
As I neared the farm, my fears were allayed; she was out in a field, romping around and looking for food with a new friend.
At this time of year, a field is like a giant scratch-off ticket for the deer; they may get lucky and scratch up something to eat, or find nothing and have to move on. Today, they would get lucky.
Skittles has come a long way since we found her orphaned last year. She may be scratching around in a field now, but with all the new friends she’s made, I think she’s already won the lottery.
–Photo by me
I don’t know why, but these beautiful words by Julie Andrews Edwards resonate somewhere deep in my soul — thought I’d share:
“That night she dreamed of the deer.
Strangely, the animal was holding her.
She curled close into the soft fur
And touched and kissed it gently.
In the morning, her pillow
Was wet with tears.”
–Photo by me
november’s a shock to the deer
who were born in the spring of the year,
for they weren’t told upfront
’bout the cold nor the hunt
nor the snow that makes food disappear
–photo by me
docile deer
occupy the road
in peaceful
protest of
the human exploitation
of their deer trails
–photo by son aaron
michaeljordahl 