Cold Night

I wonder with dread, darkness nears,
Northern howl rides shivers of spine,
Songbirds gird against their fears,
Snatch seeds and shelter in pine.

Sunflower fat burns through the night,
Tiny heartbeat warms toe and wing,
Icy blasts' might, metabolistic fight,
 ‘Til light, day’s crystal shards bring.

Other wildings, how do they fare?
Denned squirrels snuggle, curled
Fast asleep in hollow of lair,
Dead leaves pad their world.

Small creatures, too, hide from cold,
In their burrows deep, blind ground moles,
And shredded nests, old logs hold,
Underground sanctum for mice and voles.

Raccoons find harbor in hollow tree,
O’possums, same, if not in ground,
Foxes burrow, not on hunting spree,
Bears sleep in their caves, dug or found.

So what of the deer, their struggle?
They construct no nest in which to lie.
It's not their nature to snuggle,
How do they cope, and not die?

Select escape avenues and screen,
On nature’s best offer must depend,
Bed in thickets, densest evergreen,
Or deep grassy hillsides, lee of wind.

Nature gives more, helps deer to win,
Gray winter coat yields double pay,
Downy hair nestles close to skin,
Coarse hair wicks rain, snowmelt away.

What’s more, with its hollow design,
Captures body heat in tube of air,
So deer are fitted to do fine,
Still, sub zero air threatens welfare.

If deep snows accumulate wherein,
Large groups shelter in “deer yards,”
Are captive to food contained therein,
Snow outlasts food — no safeguards,

And many herds are decimated
By such non-nutritious eventuality,
Report deaths, hundreds estimated
Per incident — difficult factuality.

So I wonder with dread, darkness nears,
Northern howl rides shivers of spine,
Where are the deer, with all of their peers,
As bitter winds bite, shriek and whine?