Photo & Poem: Boundary

Dim light elongates in the lavender dusk,
boundaries soften to faded nuance. Barn
horses bolt at an inaudible sound, then
spin to face the intruders, ears tall. Only

deer, three, just outside our fence, making
their way to the pond. The male stops,
turning his antlers full on, glaring white
throat markings draw attention, as two

does wait in his tracks. Now, they see me
and a donkey, watching the sunset. All
of us listen long, until the horses settle
back to hay, and the deer continue to the

mossy pond edge where the mallards are
preening. No coyotes tonight, only restless
house dogs. Others move soundlessly; birds
on barn rafters, rabbits and rodents scurry

past hay stacks to grain feeders. Shadows
reveal more than boundaries can isolate, any
line drawn between wild and domestic fades
as the line of a fence disappears with the sun.

…