Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Beside the Waterfall


At dawn
the big dog - 
Winston by name - 
reached down

into the leaves - tulips and willows mostly - 
beside the white 
waterfall, 
and dragged out, 

into plain sight, 
a fawn, 
it was scarcely larger
than a rabbit, 

and thankfully,
it was dead.
Winston
looked over the

delicate, spotted body and then
deftly
tackled
the beautiful flower-like head,

breaking it and
breaking it off and
swallowing it.
All the while this was happening

it was growing lighter.
When I called to him
Winston merely looked up.
Grizzled around the chin

and with kind eyes,
he, too, if you're willing
had a face like a flower; and then the red sun

which had been raising all the while anyway,
broke
clear of the trees and dropped its wild, clawed light
over everything. 





Mary Oliver
Photo:  Peter Bowers