Spring Deer

Today two deer were frolicking up and down the hillside beyond my back yard. First they went tearing from left to right about halfway up the hill, more sound than sight, their brown bodies blending in with the brown-leaf carpet at the foot of the trees. Then they chased back in the other direction, nearer this time so that I could see how young they were and how much fun they were having. Finally I heard them way up high, close to the rock outcroppings, barely discernible between the trees whose fast-leafing limbs are obscuring the view more and more each day. I imagined it was a boy-deer chasing after a girl-deer, and I wished him luck and them happiness on this the finest last day of Winter in memory.