As a toddler, my fingers
were grazed by the lips and
teeth of a treat-searching deer
separated from me by the zoo
enclosure’s chain-link.
But now, standing in wide pasture
and intermittent fencing,
a deer far removed from
my childhood remains
evident in skull only.
It rests teeth-up,
the molars pointed sharply
toward the sun like the antlers
to the ground as they curve around
the old corral’s wooden beam.
I look into the dark
of the upside-down eye socket,
the bone thin as it bulges
to accommodate a forgotten
eye, missing like the mandible.
I didn’t have to feed
the zoo-deer long ago
just as sustenance would be
lost on this buck,
bodiless.
About the Creator
Hannah E. Aaron
Hello! I'm mostly a writer of fiction and poetry that tend to involve nature, family, and the idea of growth at the moment. Otherwise, I'm a reader, crafter, and full-time procrastinator!
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More stories from Hannah E. Aaron and writers in Poets and other communities.
Can You Drive a Ford Fiesta Through a Desert?
I’m flying down the B1 highway from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop with a map and a boot full of camping gear. I’m excited for the first stop of my Namibian road trip: the Quiver Tree Forest. I spot the sign and turn onto the C17, off the tarmac and onto the gravel. I’ll be there soon; it’s only ten miles or so. I am unprepared for what comes next. The car slides and slips across the road. I am not fully in control anymore. I slow to a crawl. The car judders and shudders, the noise deafening, the vibrations rattling the teeth in my skull. It takes me around an hour to drive the ten miles. I arrive at the campsite relieved to be in one piece, even if it feels like all my bones have been shaken slightly out of place. I will later learn that this is what happens when the gravel road becomes “corrugated”, and that the roads authority goes round once a week to “grade” them. Seems I arrived about 6 days after the grader had last been round.
By Jenifer Nim2 days ago in Wander
Comments (3)
Dear Hannah ~ Such a coincidence: Just the other day I snapped a pic of a huge antlered Deer licking at our backyard sprinklers; it's been very dry here - but I've never seen a Deer-here in our very 'suburban' neighborhood. We weren't the least bit fearful of one-another - so I fed him some Cheerios right out of my hand - fer-real! After commiserating with Prof Doc (I am a legal professional) - with you in mind - I've written about job choice of late - very different from ours and even your 'Dads-Days.' We dealt with blatant 'affirmative' action - which is so prevalent of late. - Best to you - Jay Jay Kantor, Chatsworth, California 'Senior' Vocal Author - Vocal Author Community -
The description of the deer skull is so good!! This is an awesome poem.
Wow, well done! :)