Deer Sleepovers

by Deidre Sullivan


During the winter
in my backyard,
sometimes the deer
jump over the fence and
make a bed in the snow.

I see them in the
early morning, sleeping tight,
together, twined
like yin and yang.

One morning, I even
found them
camped under
my bedroom window,
nestled near the shrubs.

When they wake up,
the deer stand in the snow
and stare at the house
before bounding away.

My guess is:
They are looking for her,
waiting for her,
the old lady who lived here
for many decades
before me.

She taught Bridge
and loved to garden:
That’s what the realtor said.

But perhaps she did
so much more than the
realtor or I will ever know.


* * * * *

Deidre Sullivan is the author of What Do We Mean When We Say God? (Doubleday), a book of quotes and thoughts from discussions with hundreds of Americans about God. She is a graduate of Brown University and holds an advanced training certificate in Applied Mythology from the Pacific Graduate Institute. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Quail Bell, Eunoia Review, Down in the Dirt, among others.