Failures of Promise

A flock of crows

found a road-killed ewe

frozen in the snow.

A drowsy bear

dragged a leg-shot deer

to its deadfall lair.

The lamb in the ewe

and the fawn in the doe

were devoured unborn,

and November snows

buried the standing corn.

Timothy Murphy

From The Deed of Gift, Story
Line Press, © 1998.  Reprinted
by permission of the author
and Story Line Press, Ashland,
Oregon.