Published in: https://www.californiastatepoetrysociety.com/2023/08/contents-of-california-quarterly-vol-49.html
A doe stretches
to reach the topmost
leaves as she strips
our Mock Orange bush,
nose wet as a dew-
dipped blackberry.
She doesn’t know
I lean into the kitchen sink,
crane to catch
her every movement.
I won’t knock
on the window,
even though
this fragrant shrub
she grazes on is my favorite.
Tonight,
I’ll let stars wash me clean,
dream of deer,
how such gazing
blossoms into happiness.