he is a big boy
as they say around here
walking slowly down the sidewalk
must weigh five or six hundred pounds
stopping now and then to sniff the flowers
or crop a mouthful of grass
his antlers are nothing short of huge
still covered in velvet
still growing
he pauses to consider me
sitting in my porch chair
eyes dead flat
fight or flight
deciding on neither
he moves on
.
a robin runs across the grass
stops, still, head cocked
waiting
then pounces
the end of a worm
stretched between her bill and the earth
i did not know that worms are so elastic
a final tug
the worm snaps free
and is gobbled down
,
Belle the Cat is after a white winged butterfly
she launches into a high flip
pawing the air
which is now empty of butterflies
seeing me watching
she sits and cleans her paws
“i meant to do that”
The Ace Hotel Notebook 