Two Deer, Sunset, by Michele Rule

Deer at Sunset, by Maud Lewis (Canada) 1966

Two Deer, Sunset

Two deer, sunset 
except it’s fire 
wild in the western sky 
trees and homes succumb 

Two deer, motionless 
the fear as astringent in the nostrils 
as the smoke 
what to do, what to do 

Two deer, turn, run 
flying embers at their heels 
the cement of Los Angeles 
becomes their refuge 

Two deer, at rest 
beside the fountain 
at Gloria Molina Grand Park 
droplets brush clear the ashes 
from their russet pelts 

Two deer, sunset 

Michele Rule

Michele Rule (she/her) is a disabled writer from Kelowna BC, with a special interested in the topic of chronic illness. She is published in Five Minute Lit, Poetry Pause and the anthology Chicken Soup for the Soul, among others. Michele won first prize in the Wine Country Writers Festival 2024 Poetry Contest. She is an associate member of the League of Canadian Poets and co-edits the Solitary Daisy Haiku journal. Michele lives in a beautiful garden surrounded by people who love her just the way she is. You can read some of Michele’s work at https://MicheleRule.ca.