A poem by Jim Veteto
Little Deer (March 11, 1996-June 12, 2011)
Never before
had I seen a dog
climb vertical rock mountain walls
run with albino deer
hunt down white possum
and birds out of trees in winter.
You traveled the whole wide country with me
into deep wilderness
numerous Indian reservations
Earth First camps
and rainbow gatherings.
You sensed things
--often before me--
and gave me that look
of awareness and concern
A true pack animal
yet one of a kind
You came to us
when Hale-Bopp was in the sky
a full moon
and the planets aligned.
You left us the eve
of an intense Appalachian lightning storm
gone down to the pond
to end it all.
I always felt
you were an indigenous dog
one left over from the old Indian camps
that may have mixed with more modern breeds.
The way you moved
the way you hunted
more cat-like
than dog
and you crossed your legs in front of you like a proper princess.
Today you are gone back to spirit
and tonight we celebrate your life
around the pyre.
Little Deer Woman
your spirit lives on among us
we will always tell the tale
of your life and times.
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