The Doe and Two Fawns

The doe grazed in grass deep and lush,

While nearby, partially hidden by the brush,

Two fawns had melted into quiet shadows,

Yet in the open only their silhouette showed,

The doe’s ears flickered towards a slight sound,

And she was ready to leap and forward bound,

Her white tail the signal that she was aware,

Of any intruder that chanced passing there,

But it was two squirrels chasing round a tree,

Engrossed in their game, racing wildly,

The doe watched only for a moment or two,

Then realized danger was unlikely to ensue,

Cautiously she walked to where the fawns lay,

They rose on wobbly legs, born the previous day,

Hungrily they nursed till they had their fill,

Then followed the doe around the hill,

They often came to play in that quiet lea,

And their spots faded very gradually,

Months later when they chose to reappear,

Instead of one doe there were three deer,

I’m sure now there are several little deer,

That passed beneath my window here,

But that first excitement of fawns in the brush,

While the doe grazed in grass deep and lush,

Are still portrayed in a picture I took,

And someday I’ll include them in a book,

Where they become part of my story,

And nature is extolled for all its glory.