A poem by Susan J. Mitchell
Those First Steps
Snow spread across the field
like a royal carpet for deer,
squirrels and rabbits.
The wind whispering all around
as if to say, “Shhh. Listen.”
Trees bare but outstretched,
waiting for the next bird
needing rest. The temperature
cold enough to send many
home to enjoy the company
of whoever might be there.
It was nature at its most relaxed.
A deer stood at the edge of the
woods looking around as if
watching both ways for traffic.
A fawn sniffed snow nearby
then extended her hoof
cautiously forward into the new,
untouched field.
A new endeavor.
What if she fails? What if the world
treats her badly? Will others love
her as her mother does? Will they
accept the boundaries she sets?
She doesn’t know but she steps
out anyway making prints in the
snow that are unmistakenly,
magnificently her own.
Susan J. Mitchell is an author and photographer with four full-length books. Her most recent poetry book is Twice in a Lifetime (2023). She has participated in the Appalachian Writers Workshop in Hindman, Kentucky seven of the past eight summers. Her photography and writing is on permanent display at Baptist Health Hospital in Corbin, Kentucky in the Oncology and Chemotherapy departments. She lives on a hill in Kentucky surrounded by trees and visited by deer, cardinals, squirrels and frogs.