Myron Ernst

How the Days Go

(like a sad song or psalm)

 I was a hunter.
 My days were gazelles.

A long time ago, in the winter,
They would come down from a hill,
down from a hill to my open field.

I saw them spring in the winter,
and watched them gambol in their heat.
I came near to the ceremonies of their coupling.

In the spring they came down from a hill.
They came down from a hill with their young.

The open field is now a house and garage.
It is a house and garage, a driveway and a lawn.
I cannot shovel, push or rake any longer.

I use a Deere to mulch the leaves, fling the snow.
To cut the lawn, clear the snow, I use the Deere.

I am a tired hunter.
My days were gazelles.

Myron Ernst was co-owner with his wife Shirley of a Montessori School in Vestal, New York. Retired, he is a frequent contributor to ragazine.cc. His work has appeared in many other publications.