PUDÚ

In the shimmering heat she thought she saw

 A man leading a baby goat on a string.

On approaching him she gasped.

The tiny forest deer

Panted and puffed feverishly

In the scalding heat beside the road

His little cloven hooves on fire

The two sharp horns bowed

Eyes the colour of honey

That once glowed in the cool recesses of the forest

Now opaque, dying embers.

She brought him home, tended to him.

 He died hours later, far from his green home.

Heartbroken, she carved his image.

It became the emblem of his forest

That had just, unlike him, been saved.

Cañi Sanctuary, Pucon, Araucanía, Chile

Viv Macadam