To Survive Another Season I follow my cat’s intent stare across the yard to see what she sees that I don’t. Three young deer disappear amid the dross of autumn leaves. I freeze and hope they won’t see me inside the screened porch where I read about extinction. Their colors blend with the browns and beige of the woodland all around us as they silently feed without their mother. To hide in plain sight— the trick of camouflage, cloaked in color and texture to match the woods. Their plight doesn’t point toward evolving to be smaller. They struggle on through traffic, drought, and snow certain of sustenance that I don’t know.
Joan Mazza has worked as a medical microbiologist and psychotherapist, and taught workshops focused on understanding dreams and nightmares. She is the author of six books, including Dreaming Your Real Self. Her poetry has appeared in Crab Orchard Review, Prairie Schooner, Slant, Poet Lore, and The Nation. She lives in rural central Virginia.
Amethyst Review 