Jitteriness Of The Deer

Jitteriness Of The Deer
© Surazeus
2026 08 27

In evening shadow of cautious regret 
Carla treads through elm grove to flowered glade, 
toward blue house beside the round silver pool, 
alert with jitteriness of the deer 
to danger lurking in darkening gloom, 
body buzzing with terror of grim death. 

Stomping boots with earnest possessiveness, 
Robert searches for his runaway wife 
who cost three horses and seven cows 
when he purchased her from the poor blacksmith, 
and shouts her name loud in darkening gloom, 
heart pounding with religious rage of pride. 

Trembling in chilly wind of fearful hope, 
Carla knocks lightly on the blue house door, 
but glances behind her in shadowed woods 
when she hears him shouting her name in rage, 
and gasps when old woman opens the door, 
whispering hoarsely to hide her soul from death. 

Running toward blue house by the silver pool, 
Robert grabs thin arm of the frightened girl 
who stares at him with black eyes of the deer 
which attempts to escape jaws of the wolf, 
and grins at the old woman with gray eyes 
to explain the little girl is his wife. 

Frowning with concern as the moon glows gold, 
Catherine insists he let the girl go, 
for she is far too young to be his wife, 
but Robert pushes her with growl of rage 
with force that causes her to tumble back 
so her frail head cracks on hard oak table. 

In purple dimness of the twilight zone, 
Carla gasps in shock of frightened despair, 
then cradles head of the old crone with care, 
whose frail body spasms at jolt of pain, 
vainly attempting to stop gush of blood 
that glistens with horror of mute moonlight. 

Twisting arm free from hard grip of his hand 
when he drags her away from the blue house, 
Carla runs through elms to the gushing stream, 
pauses by the stone to softly declare 
that she would rather die than marry him, 
then jumps in swift current of hopeless fear. 

Crawling on shore of Plutonian gloom, 
many miles downstream from her lost hometown, 
Carla huddles beside the apple tree, 
and cries with anguish of hopeless despair 
when she thinks about old woman who died, 
then eats apples at lonely flash of dawn.