Offering
We shy away,
Deer in the ditch,
white tails arcing
the passing numen,
leaping away
from bright lights
and broad wheels.
Or maybe we stay quiet,
heads down,
grazing,
ignoring that flash
that has passed us by
before.
Some will stand frozen,
make a wrong step,
then, nicked and limping,
bleed into the woods.
But sometimes there is one
who runs headlong
to the road,
sacrificing everything
to get behind
that glass.
Shoveling Out
You've stayed away from the windows
unwilling to look at the yard
full of unfinished chores
and death
and then, overnight,
the snow,
a foot or more
a gift, a day
maybe two if you're lucky,
of clean white forgetting
until the mailman leaves you a note,
a reminder
that beauty is treacherous.
It is not until
you get out in it
and dig
pain singing
in every muscle
that you realize
the terrible weight.
Turbine
The invisible moves
through outstretched arms
spinning power
we harness and spend
forgetting
we were made
for flight.
Pavlovian
The bowl remains empty
but your voice still rings
just the same.
© Copyright LouAnn Shepard Muhm. All Rights Reserved.
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