Trigger Warning
My right hand held
the thin black plastic
lasso, threaded it
through itself, ringing
the taupe bumpy antler
resembling barren tree
branches. Were sycamore
& elm silhouettes the last
beings this doe or buck or button
buck saw alive? The leaf
litter beneath their tawny
heads, autumnal pillows
drenched in blood
the color of dried maples.