You and your boyfriend came to my mind
his steady gaze that follows you
into your peaceful moments
smiling at someone’s joke
or tasting a ripe peach
when I learned that newborn fawns
separated from does
lie still as the mud furrows
in farm fields.
They wait for love’s return
in a shelter of silent confidence that
danger can be outlasted
even should it approach
as farm machinery
the predatory creep of blades and weight
crushing quiet bodies
dreaming of soft grass and milk.

Laura Selenka is a a 51 year old poet, returning to the craft after living other lives as a mother and freelance writer. Becoming a member of Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, attending the conferences, and taking advantage of the area readings and workshops has provided an encouraging nudge back into the life of a writer. She lives in Oshkosh with her husband and judgmental beagle.