Haiku 2023–189

newly-minted fawns

testing their legs and courage

learning to be deer

— —

A number of circumstances conspire to place what can best be described as a “wildlife superhighway” right behind our house. This ten-foot wide grass corridor right next to our house sees all manner of local fauna going back and forth through it. The “Queens of the Road” (I’ve only seen one buck back there in all our years here) are the deer who can be seen back there almost every day. It’s pleasant enough viewing most days, but this time of year is special. Why? Nature always seems to make anything tiny seem even more beautiful than it already is.

While sitting in my chair writing one morning earlier this week, my wife snuck into the room and quietly bade me look outside. Soon enough, two tiny fawns moved past the window nibbling on newly-mown grass. While I couldn’t see her, my wife assured me that the mother was close by keeping a watchful eye. This moment, while not unusual, seemed worthy of haiku on its own, but what happened next sealed the deal. A couple of minutes after the two moseyed past, I looked up to the two of them moving past the window at a full sprint. No sooner had this circumstance registered in my mind that the pair reversed course and sprinted the other way. No camera could have captured this truly beautiful moment. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons haiku is still relevant.