COUNSELOR: Poetry Crisis Line, what is your emergency?
CALLER: Traveling through the dark I found a deer
COUNSELOR: Do you need to contact Animal Control?
CALLER: dead on the edge of the Wilson River road.
COUNSELOR: I’m sorry to hear that. How are you handling that?
CALLER: It is usually best to roll them into the canyon:
COUNSELOR: Why is that?
CALLER: that road is narrow;
COUNSELOR: I see.
CALLER: to swerve might make more dead.
COUNSELOR: Wait, you are parked, right?
CALLER: By glow of the tail-light
COUNSELOR: Good to know.
CALLER: I stumbled back of the car
COUNSELOR: You are sober, right?
CALLER: and stood by the heap,
COUNSELOR: The deer?
CALLER: a doe,
COUNSELOR: A female deer?
CALLER: a re-
COUNSELOR: A drop of golden sun?
CALLER: cent killing;
COUNSELOR: Oh. Right.
CALLER: she had stiffened already, almost cold.
COUNSELOR: I’m sorry.
CALLER: I dragged her
COUNSELOR: Far?
CALLER: off;
COUNSELOR: A long, long way?
CALLER: she was large
COUNSELOR: So–
CALLER: in the belly.
COUNSELOR: Where is this thread going, exactly?
CALLER: My fingers
COUNSELOR: Not that I’m trying to needle you.
CALLER: touching her side brought me the reason—
COUNSELOR: You mean why she was so la–
CALLER: her side was warm;
COUNSELOR: Like tea?
CALLER: her fawn lay there waiting,
COUNSELOR: That could really jam your breath.
CALLER: alive, still, never to be born.
COUNSELOR: I know–that follows. So–
CALLER: Beside that mountain road
COUNSELOR: And that would bring us back to the doe.
CALLER: I hesitated.
COUNSELOR: Oh, dear.
Suggested by Eric Hammerstron. If you want have a favorite poem or poet you’d like to see at the Poetry Crisis Line, please leave a suggestion in the comments.
read the original here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42775/traveling-through-the-dark