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William Stafford
William Stafford (1914 - 1993 / Kansas / United States)
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William Edgar Stafford was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, on January 17, 1914, to Ruby Mayher and Earl Ingersoll Stafford. The eldest of three children, .. more >>
21 poems of William Stafford
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Traveling Through The Dark

User Rating:

8.3 /10
(71 votes)



  Traveling through the dark I found a deer
dead on the edge of the Wilson River road.
It is usually best to roll them into the canyon:
that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead.

By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car
and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing;
she had stiffened already, almost cold.
I dragged her off; she was large in the belly.

My fingers touching her side brought me the reason--
her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting,
alive, still, never to be born.
Beside that mountain road I hesitated.

The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights;
under the hood purred the steady engine.
I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red;
around our group I could hear the wilderness listen.

I thought hard for us all--my only swerving--,
then pushed her over the edge into the river.

William Stafford


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Read poems about / on: car, river, dark, red, light, travel

 
  Comments about this poem (Traveling Through The Dark by William Stafford )
Click here to write your comments about this poem (Traveling Through The Dark by William Stafford )
 
  Candace Johnson  (10/14/2009 1:39:00 PM)

That is sooo sad. Why couldn't he save it? ?
  Jan Spencer  (3/7/2009 2:05:00 AM)

Bravo, exactly as I would of done.
A babe irregardless of parentage, deserves it's Mothers' guidance and love.
We cannot change fate.
Much Enjoyed.
  Carolyn Dimmick  (9/6/2008 12:41:00 PM)

It is very well written, but very sad. Were it I, I would have saved the yet unborn
  Nick Capozzoli  (8/1/2007 1:28:00 AM)

It is technically not a sonnet as regards either line number or rhyme scheme, but it has the feel of a sonnet and is a very good poem. The rhythm of the five-beat line and the images are masterful.
  Charley P  (6/18/2007 1:44:00 PM)

It's a poignant poem but you're right, its not a sonnet. I like it.
  E F  (8/30/2006 4:28:00 PM)

A sad poignant moment. A live being lives on beyond and then dies. Almost unbearable
  David Rogers  (4/4/2006 2:18:00 PM)

Dude, it's not a sonnet. Sonnets have fourteen lines.
  Greg Hutchinson  (9/18/2005 1:51:00 AM)

This is a very fine sonnet. Its 7 out of 10 'user rating' is a reflection on the readers, not the poem. I wonder how many readers even recognized that it is a sonnet. The half-rhymes and loose iambic give it a prosy surface without sacrificing the rhythm, which is perfect. Take the last line: 'Then pushed her over the edge into the river, ' exactly echoes the sense - with the first cluster of stressed syllables suggesting the pushing and the last, rushing syllables suggesting the release and fall.

By the way, I wonder why the order to choose a number wasn't accompanied by any number. I couldn't vote! I'd have given it a 10.

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