Debbie Olson
The Density of Bone
Turkey vultures circle the sky. I shade my eyes from the sun and follow them as they swoop down and land on branches jutting out of the water on the far side of the canal basin. The cold air catches in my throat as I realize the branches are the legs of a dead deer that had fallen through the late winter ice.
As the vultures tug at the body, I wonder if the deer had walked across the basin from where I’m standing or had started out from the other side. Did it fall during the night or just after dawn? Was it alone? Did it cry out?
test results
the doctor recommends
vitamin D
About the Author
Debbie Olson’s poetry has appeared in Acorn, Akitsu, bottle rockets, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Presence, Poetry Pea, and Prune Juice, among other journals, and The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku. She lives in New York State.