yearling moose

by Leslie Moore

we startle each other
to stillness
on the coastal road

he flicks
his stub tail
in panic

picks up
his feet
one at a time
as if the parts
aren’t connected
hoof hock knee

a puppet
no puppeteer

when all
four feet
work
in tandem
he skids
herky jerky
off the road

dissipates
into trees

leaving me
incandescent