The Doe

2. 'Neath a dull, overcast, Selkirk sky,  

3.  Comprised of low-hanging clouds  

5.  I was startled by a doe jumping over gravestones,  

7.  And she was going for the gold.  

11. I was frozen in awe, 

13. She drew the cemetery in, as a vacuum of praise upon herself,  

17. In contrast to the eau-de-nil lichen 

19. Some that had been beaten so hard 

23. That all that was left was a blank cement slate,

29. Seconds after first noticing her, now engrossed in her 

31. Our eyes connected when she herself stopped,

37. Miniscule unit by evolution,  

41. Fluidly,   

43. For one brief moment, 

47. And I realized the one drawback of her safe place, 

53. And she traded off the delicious 

59. For the absence of a desecrator,  

61. Human, who finds pleasure in an unfair fight.

67. Maybe, she was a single doe? 

71. Nose, after finishing her snack, 

73. Sat upon a plethora of dead humans,  

79. Hanging out among them,  

83. Slowly, avoiding any quick movement as

89. Nor had I interrupted her.  

[                                     ]

1. Whilst paying my respects at St. Clements,  

4. That muted the remnants of afternoon sunlight, 

9. In such a manner  

16. Even try to take the stage.  

25. An enchanting mix of russet, raw umber and cedar,

36. Any hunter trying to compensate for being dealt a 

49. With that sole solution meant to be 

64. Were they huddled away somewhere she found to be  

81. A few moments more, 

[                                     ]

12. For with undeniable grace  

24. Standing in contrast to her coat, 

36. Any hunter trying to compensate for being dealt a

48. That being when humans engaged in groundskeeping and landscaping,

60. An unnatural, subversive and exploitive 

72. That made me realize that her safe place  

84. To scare her, 

[                                     ]

8.  Never having seen nature's magnificence articulated before

10. (Much less in the daytime),  

18. That littered the weathered stones,

20. That the etching that once revealed

22. Now had been eroded and blanched to the point 

26. Shimmered in the remaining light. 

28. White as the first snow that'd soon be coming,

30. Resplendence,  

32. Partially blocked by a rather large headstone, 

34. Any more than her natural instinct to be on high alert,

38. I did start to think if I had stumbled upon a place where she was safe,

40. Stepping hoof after hoof gently,

42. Eyes now full of curiosity, after sizing me up as not a threat, at least 

44. Bowing her head a little to nibble on the grass, weeds and forbs, 

46. Getting shorter as she consumed it all,  

50. Cemetery beautification,

52. That the area had to offer, 

54. Shrubs, like blackberry or raspberry bushes, 

56. Apples, berries, acorns, and other mast (nuts)

58. From tulips to hostas to carrots, 

62. This led me to wonder about her children,

66. Was her plan to gather some food for them, or

68. Did she come to the cemetery because it was where  

70. There was something in the way she twitched her 

74. Predators that could no longer connive, 

76. Kill anything,

78. Now, the easy prey felt safe

80. And I continued to share the silence with 

[                                           ]

6.  Hurdling them like it was some kind of Deer Olympics, 

15. So much so that no other animal could 

21. The names of the deceased

27. Her belly and her namesake tail,  

33. And though not so naive to suggest that she connected with me,

39. Or as close to safe as she could be,  

45. Raising her head with some still outside her mouth, 

51. They did, in fact, remove much of the cuisine   

57. As well as flowers and vegetables in gardens, 

63. Did she have any?  

69. Deer met to mingle? 

75. Who no longer had a need or ability to   

[                                         ]

14. Gravitating all attention  

35. Ready at the drop of a hat to flee 

77. And the irony was that  

[                                         ]

55. Young Trees and saplings, 

65. Even more safe? 

85. Just wanting to say thank you,

[                                         ]

87. But, rather, to remember, 

[                                         ]

82. Finally giving her a wave and a smile, 

86. As I had not come to graze,

88. And she had not interrupted,