Deer Daughter

After all the times we’ve been out on the hunting ground,

being afraid hasn’t been something I’ve ever felt. I wonder what you’d say if you

could see me now. My finger trembling over the trigger,

doe-eyed and weary. I’m tired of shooting the bucks,

eating their meat, and hanging their antlers above my bed.

For you, they’re all just beasts. You’d shoot a fawn if you saw one.

Good thing you haven’t come around in a while to see

how your own deer daughter turned into one.

I don’t have your intolerance, or your eyes, or your smile,

just your hunger. Your teeth. That's why your favorite hunting

knife lives in my nightstand, just in case your

loathing drags you back to me. You’ll satisfy your cravings

much like an evening after the harvest moon and I’ll

nod along like nothing has changed. Then you’ll take me

out to the antler room and make me watch the blood

pour from another stag. You’ll turn to me and suddenly I’m next in the

queue. So you’ll pick me up for the first time, just to hang my life on the

rack and leave me there to waste this fever away. When you finally take me down,

scrape the dried blood off my nails, and hide me away in the freezer.

Tell me I’ll be useful for once, to quench your thirst and fulfill your stomach.

Use me as you would your game. My hide for carpet, concealing the stain I left in a

vermillion puddle on the floor. My hair to be stuffed in the pillowcase, for strangers to

weigh on. My body for a feast. My heart for your conscience. Dress me with the

xyris and leave no scraps behind. And when what's left of me is scattered around

your house, know I’m the thoughts you can’t escape, and I’ll never leave. Even if you

zip up your jacket and decide to disappear, know I’m with you inside.

***

Locklyn Wilchynski, a poet and musician hailing from McComb, Mississippi, is a keen observer of the human condition, often delving into the subtle, unnoticed moments between individuals in her work. A graduate of the Mississippi School of Arts, Locklyn is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi. Her evocative poetry has been accepted by many esteemed literary journals such as The Phoenix, Nine Cloud Journal, In Parentheses, Car Crash Mag, and Refractions Magazine. Locklyn's talent has been recognized with several state-wide awards, including The William Faulkner Literary Competition and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She is always working to make sure her artistry moves those who resonate with the beauty found in life's fleeting, intimate interactions.