poem – half there

This morning there was a deer
bedded down, under a few evergreens,
in our back yard. The deer was alone.
While I was looking out of our sliding glass
door I was surprised to see the little ears
and brown nose of a young deer. It couldn’t
see me, but it was looking directly at me.
I must have made a noise loud enough to
have caught its attention. I wanted to do
nothing but watch this deer. I couldn’t though,
there was too much to do. Later, while brushing
my teeth upstairs, I looked out our bedroom window
and the young deer was now standing in the same spot
that it had bedded down in. Every time it seemed like
the deer might walk, it stopped the movement of walking
and licked its side. This went on for sometime- Me standing
in the upstairs window with toothpaste overflowing in my
mouth, while the deer stood and nearly walked, but didn’t.
I had images of me walking out to the deer to see if it was caught
on something. Should I put pants on? Or just walk out in my PJs?
I’d stuff my feet into boots and just walk out to the deer and then what?
Maybe I should let mother nature take care of the deer. It’s not up to me.
Damn. What if a coyote comes along and rips into the deer. I saw one
just the other day within feet of where the deer was standing. I can’t
just let that happen. Can I? I quickly walked to the bathroom and spit
the toothpaste from my mouth. I returned to the bedroom window and
the young deer had walked a few feet from where it had been. The deer
raised its head to sniff the morning air then lowered its head to the ground
and nibbled on the top of a small growth. I couldn’t tell exactly what the growth
was from the window. Just as I couldn’t tell if the deer was stuck and needed help.
I guess that’s what happens when you’re just far enough away to see only half the story.
I made up the rest without truly knowing it. The deer took its time and walked further away and deeper into the woods.

-M. Taggart

ps, we’re home again.

Published Work:
https://mtaggartwriter.wordpress.com/my-book/