A Blessing? (Inspired by A Blessing by James Wright)

Another brisk walk in Snug Harbor -

the evening sun is going down

the dark velvet sky.

Red leash tethers Sirius to me

against her natural will. She lunges

for a squirrel. Heel - I command.

We walk toward Henderson Avenue.

To the right of the path, along the hill

of the Healing Garden

a pair of soft brown eyes meet mine -

a doe, ears pointing toward darkening sky,

limbs slender, torso balanced and still.

Talking to a friend through earbuds, I say,

“Holy shit - deer? Here? Let me call you back.”

Yes, a doe and two fawns.

I don’t care to approach or pet them.

Instead, I turn around and walk quickly

away from the white-tailed animals.

I look back and they tilt their heads and stare,

mocking me for fleeing. I’ve seen deer

in Fresh and Great Kills, but never so close.

The garden snakes, rabbits, geese,

bluejays, and squirrels are familiar neighbors,

but these deer encroach on my private peace.

What will happen to the neighborhood

if these hoofed creatures settle in?

More car accidents, ticks, droppings.

How did they even get here?

Through which gate - there are only five?

Did they pass by the Children’s Museum?

Did they marvel at the woolly mammoth

in the window of the SI Museum?

Prance across an outdoor wedding in the gardens?

Why would they come here?

Perhaps the woods on the South Shore are overcrowded.

Maybe these creatures simply seek culture.

This 80-acre park is a great destination

for all bipeds and quadrupeds, even if surrounded

by avenues where drivers speed 20+ miles above the 25 mph limit.  

I wonder if I will see these newcomers tomorrow morning

on the lawn where dogs roam and wrestle

unleashed. Sirius will either sniff them or run away.



Here is James Wright's "A Blessing" which resonated in my mind while I was thinking through this poem. It made me excited about writing a pastoral set on Staten Island.

A Blessing

By James Wright

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,

Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.

And the eyes of those two Indian ponies

Darken with kindness.

They have come gladly out of the willows

To welcome my friend and me.

We step over the barbed wire into the pasture

Where they have been grazing all day, alone.

They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness   

That we have come.

They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.

There is no loneliness like theirs.   

At home once more,

They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.   

I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,

For she has walked over to me   

And nuzzled my left hand.   

She is black and white,

Her mane falls wild on her forehead,

And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear

That is delicate as the skin over a girl’s wrist.

Suddenly I realize

That if I stepped out of my body I would break

Into blossom.