Hamas and Israel have hogged the headlines recently. But there is another war going on, and a final victory will be long in coming. Even at the cabin I am reminded of this.
Counterparts
I
No longer afraid of humans and
their shouts, the does back away
but don't back down, their fawns
stock still, ears perked.
Images from Ukraine show women
scolding enemy soldiers, nose to nose
as their offspring, rubble-coated,
peer from troubled doorways.
Hardened troops ignore the rebukes,
scan the area, fingers trigger-ready.
II
Late winter stars glow into morning
but lose to the advancing haze.
Birdcall echos like children begging
for breakfast. Meals: a pocketed crust.
The glazed snow deep enough
for desperate deer to upend bird feeders
and besieged mothers to ferret out
blackmarket hustlers.
Marilyn Aschoff Mellor
