COMING UPON A DEER
Her eyes are transfixed
on my intrusion.
Mine are drawn
to the morning air ruffle
through her brown flanks.
She’s appraising me.
What is this creature?
Why does it stare at me?
Does it mean me harm?
She doesn’t suspect
the true reason.
I don’t move,
speak in hushed tones
like a predator would never do.
“It’s okay. It’s okay”
I know the deer is fearful
but I need this moment.
No other presence
can come so close to holy.
Suddenly,
the doe darts off into the thicket.
I remain there a while
but she doesn’t return.
That is all I’m going to get
My eyes are back on me for now.
ACCIDENTALLY DISTURBING A FINCH
fly away from me
thank you
little bird,
to unnecessary safety
but with freedom
you so desperately
WHAT BEES DO
I get up close to the bees
that dart from one small yellow flower
to the next
though I know one
small buzzing critter
cold land on my bare arm at any moment,
deliver a jab of pain.
I envy a life
that small, so concentrated,
with one thing in mind
that’s not even a thought,
just instinct,
to fly in and out,
to feast on the buds,
pollinate, provide for the hive,
to not waste their lives,
watching what men do.