The Little Deer Painting - Poetry Challenge

Poetic Asides – Poem-A-Day Challenge – Day 8 Prompt:

Today's prompt asks you to write a poem that is inspired by one of the two paintings linked below. Please indicate the title of the painting or the artist's name somewhere in your comment as well. Of course, there is also the possibility that you could blend the two together. Hmmm...

Anyway, here are the paintings:

Painting #1: Piazza d'Italia, by Giorgio de Chirico
Painting #2: The Little Deer, by Frida Kahlo

I chose the painting “The Little Deer”. There is a Native American Myth told in the Oklahoma area, about a deer woman who lures men into the woods and stomps them with her hooves. I’ve heard variations on this story since I was a girl scout in grade school. This was a tough prompt to follow, but here’s my offereing:


Campfire Ghost Stories


beware the deer woman
said the chief
as we sat around
the campfire tonight

flames of shadow and light
danced across our
frightened faces

she’ll lure you
into the woods
woo you with her
batting eyelashes
stomp you with her hooves

many grandfathers
have told her story
and many young braves
have hunted her
but arrows can’t kill
though they pierce her flesh
nine times, for nine tines
on her mighty antlers

she appears a great buck
prancing through deer woods
feeding hunters’ lust for glory
beware the branch
that looks like a peace offering
it is a trap

grandfather chief
has warned us tonight
and though we think
it a silly ghost story
we will not go into
the woods alone
for many moons to come


TLS, April 2008