Jim Tilley

Many carry the image of a deer lifting off
from hind legs, forelegs bent at the knee,
head held upright, antlers worn like a crown.

Drivers forewarned they may encounter
these bounding creatures trying to get from
one side of the road to the other, lives likely

to be cut short in traffic, especially at night,
not to mention the serious damage to the striking
vehicle, both parties better off for never having

met. A designated crossing might be in order,
but that would entail much rounding up
and detailed instructions on when to wait, when

to proceed, learning to recognize red and green.
At spots where the road passes through denser
forest, signs feature both the deer and a moose,

his head not held high, shoulders sagging,
the beast dragging himself onto the pavement
from the woods, looking as if he’s just waiting

to be struck down, things not going well in his life
or at least in his day, as if he’s just heard that
he and his whole family will soon be deported

to god-knows-where for lack of proper documents
to cross the highway without a fuss, perhaps
a timely death seeming a more desirable outcome

in a land like this. What does the moose know
that the deer doesn’t, and what did the sign-maker
understand that he’s trying to communicate?

 

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JIM TILLEY has published four full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. His short memoir, The Elegant Solution, was published as a Ploughshares Solo. Five of his poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His most recent poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, was published in June 2024. His forthcoming collection, When Godot Arrived, will be published in the fall of 2026.