Caught in the Act

Caught in the Act

The deer smell me.
They twitch their button noses
into the gentle breeze
of night air. They sense
probable danger. I am
encroaching on sacred ground.

The thoughts in my mind
are to lie still under the canopy
and position the scope of my rifle-
to catch something by being quiet
a little while, but with a sharp
eye of focused attention.

But the deer hoist their white tails and slip
away silent as the night.
And I must leave now-
they've recognized me for what I am-
No lover,
No friend bearing gifts.