Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Just Deer Being Deer



Just Deer Being Deer

Their homes, their fields, and their forests
were dug up and taken over.
Now housing developments and condos sit
where once maple trees shaded clover.

They are forced to share our shrinking land.
Caught between living spaces--
farmers' fields and a few metroparks,
and overwhelmingly "civilized" places.

So they roam in our yards
and graze our garden plots,
because there is no room left for them
in their dwindling wildlife spots.

Their natural enemies are mostly gone.
They have learned to lose their fear
of the people whose yards in which they wander.
No one to blame. Just deer being deer.

Some people don't want to see the deer.
All they know is the damage they've done.
They grumble under their breath
about getting guns and making venison.

I like the deer, though, such graceful creatures,
with big, soulful, brown eyes.
They have long legs, and expressive faces,
and wear a camouflage disguise.

There must be some solution
where wildlife and man both win.
Maybe someday we can fix this mess
we've put them (and ourselves) in. 





26 comments:

  1. Beautiful poem and photos, Connie. I agree with you completely. A winery has cleared land near us to enlarge their grape vineyards. I feel sorry for the misplaced deer.
    Hope you are enjoying a nice week.

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  2. Beautiful poem Connie. I agree with every word. We have a lot of them around us as well and I enjoy them so much. I do wish something could be done about the mess as well. Hope you enjoy your week.

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  3. We have deer here just about everywhere we turn. I don't mind too much, IF they would stay away from the garden and my flowers! When I was a child there were no deer in our area.

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  4. Well said. I love deer ... so pretty!

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  5. They are so absolutely beautiful and somehow graceful, it is such a pity, that people destroyed their homes. I don't get to see them at all.Have a lovely day☺☺

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  6. Very true. My son woke one morning to find a doe with newborn twin fawns in his tiny back yard. He lived only a couple of blocks from Indiana University.

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  7. Lovely poem and very true. Now, if only the deer would use the spots designated for deer crossings (wink). That would help traffic.

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  8. Just deer being deer - i love this. And so true. Up here in the mountains they are abundant although I haven't personally seen them. It's sad thought because the amount of traffic on the hwy coming up here increases every year as more and more people move to the mountains and more and more deer are victims of accidents and all they are trying to do is to cross the hwy to get to other places. I desire a true world where all can live in harmony.

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  9. Lovely poem, and I’d like to send you some more deer. Actually, deer populations are way higher than ever, from what I understand. I have been learning to plant things that they don’t like.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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    1. Yes, they say the populations of deer are rising here too. We have also learned to plant what they won't eat.

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  10. What you have written here is sadly so very true, Connie. Friends living outside DC have told us that deer are a problem as far as eating any veggies they plant. Oddly enough when we lived in VA there was a wooded area near our unfenced veggie garden and we never had any deer problems.

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  11. Deer always make me feel at peace. Fortunately, I've never had a bad encounter or reason to dislike them. This poem beautifully captures their spirits. I especially like the phrase "maple trees shaded clover." Very nice, Connie.

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  12. Your words reflect that same that is happening in our area. So many wildlife and so much landscape are being uprooted for the big oil industry business. It is disheartening. Your photos of the deer are so pretty!

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  13. Love your words and they reflect what is happening here in our area. The oil industry is destroying habitat and landscape all around

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  14. I love deer! Of course they wander through our neighborhoods. They were here first.

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  15. Have a lovely week☺☺

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  16. Oh dear Connie i can't believe i missed your delightful posts !

    i don't know how but somehow your blog disappeared from my blog list ,one of my most favorite place ,how could it be ,don't have idea

    though i again spent some time with blogger and finally succeeded to put your precious blog in my sidebar :)
    so i can save myself from more loss

    this is an AMAZING poem about lovely deer whom i absolutely adore for all reasons you mentioned here magnificently
    yes their gaze have certain expressions and they look very sensitive and friendly to me though don't have them around here

    you have such kindred soul to feel for them my friend!

    i hope we human realize that we upset their life with our selfishness and do something to show our humanity if it still exist
    hugs!

    beautiful images ,loved them so much!

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  17. Lovely! I thoroughly enjoy seeing any kind of wildlife. It's kind of a mess, though. In the name of progress, humans develop and build on what used to be the domain of animals, and then we have the nerve to complain when the poor displaced animals still hang around in areas we then claim as "ours."

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  18. This is so true, Connie.
    I love to watch the deer when they come to my backyard. They are such graceful, and beautiful creatures.
    I love your poem.

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  19. Such an eloqunt poem about a real issue. I love the deer, too.

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  20. wild life habitats are destroyed every where, especially in developing countries...

    Thank you for sharing wonderful photos

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    1. Welcome and thank you for visiting here, Tanza!

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  21. Your timely poem is sad but true. Lovely photos and i’ve always been fascinated by seeing deer in our old neighborhood or off of wooded paths. Beautifully told.

    Julie

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  22. Thank you everyone for visiting and commenting here. I enjoy reading all of your comments.

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