bambi, momma, god

thumper coaxes bambi out of the cave

begs him to name springtime things.

bambi sings copper. everything is bird.

bambi with bird is bambi with skeleton key.

still, he asks his mother. what does carry mean.

she doesn’t know. the fawn is a god

to the gnats. they count all three sunrises

and die before bambi stops suckling.

think of an antler. the insistence

on breaking into being.

when bambi is a man

bambi will grow buttons.

bambi will wear velvet.

bambi will say to his son