caught in the shadows
a small doe along the road
moons silhouette
John Doe
remains found in summer 1969
prior to the Internet
never identified
never will be
parents and sisters never knowing
Jane Doe
bones discovered in winter of 1999
her skull never found
who took it?
where is it?
foul play or animal gnawing?
Baby Doe
frozen solid
discovered in an abandoned freezer
no chance of identity
were these three as forgotten in life
as they were forgotten in death?
Reminiscent of a doe
with a hue as rich as earth,
your gaze takes me home
to a cedar-filled hearth.
Welcoming like hot chocolate
and as vibrant as autumn's leaves,
your stare carries the life
that Mother Nature herself weaves.
Neutral, yet expressive—
as versatile as leather, but still so alive—
your eyes are the gemstones
favored by the sun and I alike.
skull in the forest
her body yet to be found
accident or what
no one comes forward
lone skull left all by itself
detectives come out
dna testing
jane doe remains a jane doe
body still hidden
The chase after door was ajar.
From window to window, that far.
The buzz in my ear,
The fly needs to fear.
The whiz of my swatter on par.
“I’m hit,” says the fly, out of steam.
Is it truly dead or a scheme?
Over and over…
its eyes ice over.
I suck up the fly with air stream.
Dear Dad, you’ll be happy to know
the fly you let in, had to go
The show he put on -
Its buzz, it is gone.
It's buried in the bag - a John Doe.
Apropos of John H. Doe
A name we all know
Just like Uncle Sam
~ He too’s on the lam
____________________
'Critics Corner'
(A random sample of published reviews):
"Subtly implicative, bigly"
~ Barron and Donald J. Trump, in unison
"Emasculatory Triumph!!"
~ 'Fannie Femdom'
"Lumpen Proletariat Barfola"
~ Karl and Groucho Marx
"Aso. Learry Derightfur Liting:"
~ Shohei Ohtani, (through an interpreter)
"Yes, it IS poetry. So that means it's, well, a poem, written -- by a poet."
~ Kamala Harris, responding to a hardball question from Oprah W.
"I fell asleep reading this... twice."
~ Joseph Robinette Biden
autumn in the hallway
lurking like a ghost
the animal inside me
strikes its battle pose
shaking when i’m waking
eyes lost like a doe
listen for my heartbeat
find it in the snow
dying in the corner
covered in the frost
made it through last winter
what will this one cost
lion heart, i called you
you said i’m the lamb
when you see my weakness
is that all that i am?
asked you for your number
you put it in my hand
ate like i was starving
threw up in the sand
i watch from the tree line
lurking like a ghost
lingering in autumn
waiting for the snow
Her story is hidden in every third word.
Our hunter sought deer. He tracked silently while he bounded over brooks, away, into woods, zigzagging amongst trees, through undergrowth, while the doe jumped dense thickets ahead. Forest birds screeched and took flight, evading chance of danger. It was her he tracked. Instinct and guile kept him focussed. Her near silence ahead bewitched him: She seemed so rested as she quietly evaded him. In between moments a cool breeze, hidden, opened a spot. She was watching, unmoving as the arrow left hunter - aimed well, but hitting wood. She waited. He slipped another shaft into his bow. The forest waited, hushed. He sensed depths as eyes of each met. The arrow stayed; woodland breathed again.
It is a tale known throughout the ages
Of how a hunter ventured into the woods
In search of a doe.
And not just any doe,
But rather the most beautiful,
Wild,
And graceful of them all.
A doe that strutted across the evergreen
on slender legs that held her frame
as whistling winds converged on the scene.
The hunter squatted,
Scouted,
Waited,
Scaling the woods for the scrapes and rubs
And when he discovered the bedding
And caught the first sight of her
Upon the mound,
The hunter reached to aim his gun
But found himself enamored,
Spellbound.
That trophy hunter,
Stalker,
deer murderer,
Felt his chest heave and from his forehead
Escaped the sweat
Of a man who found love at first sight.
For she was such marvel to behold
He feared that his bodily scent
would alert her sensitive nose,
That she would bound away
Far, far away as if on magical toes.
He held his breath
For all the years he hunted
None more elegant existed
in his wildlife land of does
The Sonnet of Jane Doe
Jane Doe, number one four two.
What is your name, what did you do?
Were you a sister a banker or whore?
We want to know what you did before.
Were you a daughter, mother, or aunt?
Without your name we just can’t,
find your family, parents, or home,
and you will lay here dead and alone.
We want to find the ones you did love,
so they can know you’re in heaven above.
You were a person not just a thing,
what is your name so your loved ones can sing.
Jane Doe, number one four two.
What was your name, what did you do?
By
Josehf Lloyd Murchison
The path of a doe crossed that of a fawn
who nuzzled up to her ere break of dawn
They lay down together, limbs wrapped 'bout each other
No one would guess they were not babe and mother
Sun's golden rays soon broke through the trees
Slipping once, the fawn rose to her knees
Rubbing up 'gainst the doe, the fawn was off with a leap
Ne'er again to meet, the doe paused to weep
The soft kiss of spring long past first brushed her face.
Since; ravages of winters by the score had left their trace
upon this bedraggled body to which no one laid a claim.
All hint of where or who she was, erased when found
laid gently by the church upon the hallowed ground
in desperate hope that some god her soul would claim.
Somewhere a lonely family lost in guilt would mourn;
between the living, dead, funeral or food was torn.
Another victim of our times, the papers claim.
Welcome to the World of Retirement!
There are no more Monday blues.
You wake up late wondering... what to do?
No student data,
No coworkers to avoid,
No care about ADA
or if you should even shave today!
You could read a book for pleasure now and
not because you have to teach.
Make room for yourself and get some needed sleep.
Don't forget to create your bucket list!
It's time for you to travel and have fun
knowing that you'll never need to answer to DOE or anyone!
Happy Retirement!
You survived! Live long, strong, and hold on to what's left of your minds!
A double dact doe dance:
Six deer in a row prance
Merrily, playfully
Dancing so sweet!
Ungulates ruminate
Chewing the cud is great
And most amazingly,
Didactyl feet!
----------
ok, ok, i'm getting carried away with these - almost a tongue twister, but fun, and what I saw on my walk with Missy this morning!
. for public domain
(song)
She left without a whine.
She could not say goodbye.
She never had a word to speak.
She could not tell a lie.
And so I saw her go,
where to I'll never know.
We sat in silence, she and I,
under the falling snow.
She closed her eyes to die,
not a whimper, not a sigh.
I said a soft prayer over her,
and watched her spirit fly.
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