"Where Deer Sleep" by George Payne

My three-year-old son
asked me where deer sleep.

So I took him into a space
that is not meant for fathers
and sons.

There, we found a ritual that
has nothing to do with us.

An original grace. A serenity
that evokes the burden of
redemption.

That place where deer sleep,
under a plumbeous sky,

the pods of grass bent
toward the
center of the earth.

Otherworldly
crop circles and a
feeling of trespassing.

For me if not for him.

A child does not connect
with the mystery without
stepping on it.

***

George Payne’s poetry has appeared in many journals, magazines, and anthologies, including Cholla Needles, The Adirondack Almanac, Mojave He{art}t Review, MORIA Poetry Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, Front Porch Review, Chronogram Magazine, Talker of the Town, Zingara Poetry Review, Ovi Magazine, River Poets Journal, Adelaide, Ink, Sweat, and Tears, Califragile, Deep South Magazine, Amethyst Review, From the Edge Poetry Magazine, and others. His blogs, essays, and letters to the editor, have appeared in national and international publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Toronto Sun, the Havana Times, the Atlantic, and Rolling Stone.

"Canopy" is a photograph by Edward Lee. His poetry, short stories, non-fiction, and photography have been published in magazines in Ireland, England and America, including The Stinging Fly, Skylight 47, Acumen and Smiths Knoll, while his paintings and photographs have been exhibited widely, with several of his works in private collections. He is currently working towards a book of his photographs titled ‘Lying Down With The Dead’. He also makes musical noise under the names Ayahuasca Collective, Lewis Milne, Orson Carroll, Blinded Architect, Lego Figures Fighting, and Pale Blond Boy. His photography can be found on his website.