The Stag
Artist: Christy Hillier
There once lived a deer, young and free.
Deer lived in the forest with his family.
His herd had many deer of all sizes,
Except for one who was the strongest and wisest.
This was the Alpha, and he led the deer.
He had the most antlers, six points on each ear.
Deer was young and terribly small.
He looked up to Alpha, with antlers so tall.
One spring morning, the sun rose and then,
A warmth came over young Deer’s small head.
Deer’s antlers grew. They grew and they grew.
Till Deer had a crown of two and two.
He was happy to have his antlers, so new,
They made him feel special,
He loved them through and through.
But then Winter came, and the antlers grew cold.
They fell off Deer’s head, one by one they let go.
He lost all his strength and his heart grew dim.
He missed them dearly, like a bird missed the wind.
The days grew darker, and the winter was long,
He felt empty for his dear antlers were gone.
One day the snow melted, and the flowers, they bloomed
A warmth filled Deer and the sun broke through.
His antlers began to regrow again,
He had six points, he counted them.
These new antlers were strong indeed,
Deer loved to make marks on all of the trees.
He loved to play with his other deer friends,
by ramming into each others heads.
Deer looked at his antlers, so tall and so new.
They made him feel special,
He loved them through and through.
But then Winter came, and the antlers grew cold.
They fell off Deer’s head, one by one they let go.
He lost all his hope and couldn’t find peace
He missed them dearly, like the tree missed its leaves.
The days grew darker, and the winter was long,
He felt empty for his dear antlers were gone.
One spring morning, the sun rose and then.
A warmth reappeared over Deer’s head.
His antlers regrew like never before,
Until on each antler, he had points of four.
Strong and wide, tall and fine,
His precious deer antlers were one of a kind.
One day, Deer and Doe went for a stroll.
Up to the cliff, they wanted to go.
Branches and growth blocked up their way,
So Deer used his antlers to cast them astray.
Deer and Doe grew tired and faint
Until at last, by the end of the day,
They reached the top and looked down from on high,
They watched over the forest like birds in the sky.
Great trees and rivers flowed underneath,
The sky was filled with orange, red and pink.
As Deer breathed in the cool, fresh air
He was full of joy and without a care.
A stir caught their ears, from behind in the trees
Deer and Doe turned around with unease.
A lion stood, ready to pounce,
Deer’s heart began to suddenly pound.
They stepped back towards the edge of the rock
There was no where to run, only down they could drop.
Never more scared, never more brave,
Deer pounded his hooves as the beast ran their way.
The cougar jumped high in attack of her prey
Deer rammed their attacker and cast her away.
The cougar ran off, filled with fear.
“You are a hero!” Doe said to Deer.
They returned to the herd and all were amazed.
Deer loved his antlers, now and always.
But then Winter came, and the antlers grew cold.
They fell off Deer’s head, one by one they let go.
He lost all his joy and his spirit was broken.
He missed them dearly, like a fish missed the ocean.
He missed how they lifted him up to the heights,
How they kept him safe from the fierce lion’s bite.
His family told him, “They will grow back in spring,”
But he couldn’t hear them, for he was in pain.
Then Doe came, and she lay beside Deer.
She sung him a song, her voice filled his ears.
The music was slow, and made him feel sad.
But then, by the end, he didn’t feel so bad.
Morning returned, and the sun rose bright.
It’s warmth and light drove out the night.
The flowers in all the trees were in bloom,
Winter was gone and all was made new.
Deer felt the sun and its power and strength,
It lifted his spirit and then he sang.
“Sun, my old friend, you’ve heard my cry.
Your joy, your hope, and your love are mine.
You’ve armed me with strength, a shield, and a song.
Here, in your presence is where I belong.”
His antlers regrew, strong as can be.
His points were now a total fourteen.
Largest in all the land they became.
Deer was no more. He, now, was The Stag.
Did you know?
The deer with the biggest antlers is the Alpha of the herd, which means leader.
Stag is the name for a male deer, typically in it’s prime.
Doe is the name of a female deer.
Cougar is another name for mountain lion.
Depending on the species, deer shed their antlers every fall/winter and regrow them in spring/summer.
In Winter, the days are shorter and the nights are longer.
Tens of millions of people have Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a form of Depression which occurs during the same season each year.
The Sun supplies us with Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is one of the things that cause deer antlers to shed and regrow.
Vitamin D is also one of the things that cause Seasonal Affective Disorder.