On Grazing and Dry Skin

My great grandmother Chachi used to sit on the low wall
Of the open verandah on the north side of the family home
And had farm help to successfully chase stray cows from grazing in her yard;
The cows were confused – they knew nothing about our boundaries.
She was in her eighties and often used a knife to scratch her drying back.

Now in my fifties I sit on the window seat
Of my well lit and insulated home among the trees
And try my hardest to chase the deer that stray in to graze in my yard;
The deer just stand and stare at me and wonder what I’m doing in their woods.
I find myself using a hairbrush occasionally to scratch my drying back.