Deer,
nibbled the purple passion
down to the dirt.
A pot of oozing stubble
is all they left.
They didn’t touch
the hosta,
clematis,
lilies,
pot’o gold,
the not yet budding black-eyed-susan
or bee balm.

I’d spread milorganite on the whole garden,
but stupidly forgot
the pot of purple passion
sitting on the raised back deck.
Last night,
deer calmly climbed the stairs,
devoured it.

Later,
I sprinkled some on the stubs,
closing the barn door. after.

Maybe the passion will recover.

No matter how you try,
you can’t save everything from grazing deer.
Gardens are full of pieces of passion
that might have flowered
with a simple sprinkle in time.