Fire in Winter

The hoof-prints of the deer
in the snow are broken hearts,
bowed raindrops,
birds’ eyes painted with a bamboo brush.

The rough-furred, coal-tipped legs mince:
matchstick pistons, they
strike sparks from iced boulders,
strike a wintery rhythm to the tick and whisper of
the creeping hoarfrost,
the pliant ice sheathing
river stones’ flanks.

The scent of resin and musk is in those wide nostrils,
the leaf-shaped ears flick
to catch a memory of soft rain in summer greenery.

Now—a pine bough splits in the distance,
graced with snow’s heavy embrace:

There is the sound of my heart.
There is the sound of explosion
as the deer bounds up and out,
heels kicking a spray of diamond-colored fire.

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Diana Chien, age 17
Holmdel, New Jersey
Holmdel High School
Teacher: Sandra Whitten