Staring into the oncoming car lights
on the sidewalk of a dimly lit street,
her hoofs are planted firmly on the worn and gray pavement.
Her stance speaks of a doe who has life all
picked out on her bed of fruit;
a red apple of garnet stones,
a stream of water to clothe her curves,
and sunlight to warm her tender soul.
Her graceful body is like the feather
of a dove finding its rest
on a carved green shrub.
Chestnut eyes reveal a future filled with hope,
and a past wrought with hurt.
Her soft brown ears are like the moccasins
I wear on my feet in the winter,
a protection against the bitter Arctic cold.
Her outer beauty has been misused and trampled on
as merely an animal to look at.
But, her caretaker has spotted deep within
an inner beauty coupled with a sweet fragrance.
She offers the world this luxurious perfume,
a scent so enticing that it lasts forever.
A friend set aside this free gift for her
long before she grew into four wobbly legs.
Now, she longs to spray it's healing power
into the lives of the other deer
and invite them to make their homes
in the fields of provision and purity.
(Copyright - Alex Puleo, Feb. 25, 2012)
