Alyssa Froehling, Bourn
Photograph
a deer will not enter a body
of water unless it must to keep alive
a connecticut man spends his time
photographing deer crossing the mile
of water between new haven harbor
& the norwalk islands which now hold
so many deer that the land may sink
down into the ocean
a deer will not enter a body
of water unless it must to keep itself alive
block island is ten miles from the shores
of rhode island & long island
a man writing for the providence
journal claims that thousands of years
ago when the glaciers hadn’t yet melted
block island was not an island & whitetail
deer used to live there
he writes that ten miles
is not too outrageous a journey
for a healthy deer
a deer will do most anything
to keep itself alive
i haven’t spent much
time on the east coast
except in north carolina on the outer
banks where deer are not a native species
one december morning in ohio i saw
a deer rush into the olentangy river
as i crossed the bridge above
on this day it was twenty degrees
she kept looking over
her shoulder
i knew the feeling
i continued down john herrick
drive & at the crosswalk i breached
the safety line & slammed
my hands down on the hood of a car
that puled up loud next to me
i raised both arms back up
with fists & middle fingers
i heard shocked laughter
i closed my eyes & saw a deer
standing on the beach in emerald
isle north carolina salt
burns my eyes from the swim
i am trying my best to stay
alive this land is too heavy
with the living sinking
slow as traffic lights changing
down into the ocean.