Haiku: Lonely Bones

Walking through a pasture yesterday, I spied something white in the long grass and discovered that it was a partial skull (the mandible is missing, and it’s flipped upside down). The deer to whom the skull belongs has clearly been dead for a while, and given the austere time of year, its remains could have been scavenged by some hungry animal and the skull left where the meal ended.

Small herds of deer visit our property, grazing and resting, from time to time. Maybe this was one of those visiting deer or its offspring.

I can’t help but wonder how it came to rest here…dragged by a coyote, perhaps? It’s stark reminder of the fleeting and fragile nature of life, especially for creatures that are wild and free.