The Garden of Verse: Years Ago I Sent a Very Short Story to "The Dawntreader" -- Now This Journal Is Publishing My Poem

A long time ago I sent a short prose piece about a man who encounters an owl in the woods to a then-new journal called "The Dawntreader." It was an excerpt really, an out-take from a draft of a novel... I sent it to this magazine because it was seeking work on "landscape, myth, nature, legend, spirituality and love / concern for the environment." Well, I thought, I'm all for that. 

A year ago I came across a mention of the journal, and its publisher Indigo Dreams, on a list of publications and saw that the journal was still interested in publishing nature poems. Well, I thought, I have some of those. 

"The Dawntreader" published one of my poems in July and now, in its latest issue, it has published another poem. This one is  titled "Deer Uprising." 

Because the journal publishes on paper, but not online, I cannot include a link to the poem here. Instead, I am posting it on this blog. 

Deer Uprising

 

From the weedland of the fence line brush

where she has waited,

how many hours?

without betrayal to human eyes,

she flows across a strip of ground-tight wintry grass

-- exposed for mere heartbeats

during which non-predatory eyes,

the world's voyeur, happen to be staring,

(this of all moments!) --

to the old wire fence

belonging, we suspect,

to the sheep farmer neighbor,

leaps over, as if lifted by the nimble strings

of the Showman Behind the Scenes,

all laws of gravity suspended for this signature performance

-- a weightless flight that lingers in the eye --

lands, already streaming, bounding, sky-walking --

the eye cannot follow --

across the winter-dried yellow-grass,

a tone just lighter than fawn,

of that sheep-less field,

becoming one with the unpeopled land,

the weathered grass, product of countless generations,

leaves of flesh, and fleshly leavings,

as which of us shall not?

P.S. Here is some of what The Dawntreader has to say about itself (quoted from the publisher's website:

WRITERS GUIDELINES.

All submissions should follow The Dawntreader theme of the mystic,

landscape, myth, nature, legend, spirituality and love / concern for the

environment. Poetry / Prose / Articles / Legend welcomed...

Submissions should preferably be made by email using

typeface as above to avoid distortion. Short comments on previous

issue contents are very welcome.

The Dawntreader does not receive any grant or financial support from

outside sources and is solely dependent on subscriptions and donations

from well-wishers. Please spread the word.