There is a doe standing in my meadow.
She is very still; wary, all the defensive skills nature gave her are heightened now. A predator was nearby, she knows; his scent was in the air when she arrived, a bit less now.
The urge to run is always close, yet she knows that to run now is to die.
Panic and exhaustion will be her undoing,
so for now she waits.
She listens
and sees everything.
One of the most interesting aspects of being out as a woman is the enhanced sense of vulnerability. It's scary but brings greater reliance on our senses for survival. Like the doe.
ReplyDeleteWendy
For the first six years I lived here, mine was the only house on the cul-de-sac. I was surrounded by woods, and beyond the woods was a swamp. Seeing dear in my woods, and even in the back yard was a regular occurrence. Wild turkeys and foxes were also a common sight, as well as rabbits. Then the other two lots on the cul-de-sac were bought and houses were built on them. The new neighbors next to me cleared almost every tree from their lot, and built a sprawling house on it. They also brought a dog with them, and then got two more. Now I rarely ever see any wildlife, other than birds and squirrels. I've only seen deer in my woods a couple of times in the last ten years. I used to see them almost every evening.
ReplyDeleteI know what Wendy is saying. I always feel an enhanced sense of vulnerability when I'm out as myself.
Melissa XX