December 23, 2014 - 4:16pm — Dragimal
I just have to make the disclaimer now that this poem is NOT mine, all credit goes to Louise Erdrich (if u ever get the chance, plz support her works in any way u can, she's fab). since this is a deer-related poem, I thought u guys might appreciate it as much as I do~
a bit of background on the poem-- I read this in my Environmental Lit class, and absolutely fell in LOVE. the imagery is so intense and unsettling in a frightening, exhilarating way, and goddamn, I just can't say enough about it
Erdrich is part Ojibwa (her Wiki says she's specifically a part of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, but I'm somewhat reluctant to rely solely on Wiki info if I have yet to see such specific info in at least a few other places too, BUT there ya go), so a lot of her work focuses on Ojibwa myths and legends, and this poem is a beautiful example of that
WARNING- this poem undoubtedly contains themes of death (or, at least, attempted murder), and slightly gruesome imagery. also, depending on how u read this poem, this could have rape/attempted rape themes. that's exactly how I read it the first time, and I still personally think that these themes were purposefully written into the poem, BUT if u read it more from the base of that antelope myth, it becomes something else entirely. so I'm not gonna say it DOES have rape themes, but it COULD, so tread carefully
ANYWAYS, enough talking ABOUT the poem, here's the poem itself~
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The Strange People
By Louise Erdrich
The antelope are strange people ... they are beautiful to look at, and yet they are tricky. We do not trust them. They appear and disappear; they are like shadows on the plains. Because of their great beauty, young men sometimes follow the antelope and are lost forever.
