The Dead Deer

I had a memory of a deer, hanging from the porch of the cottage shuttered for the winter. I was walking home from school. The whites of its exposed undersides glowy in the fading November light. There is a pink droplet tinged with blood, frozen in place around its nostrils. I must have crept in close to get a closer look.

Frightening and fascinating. I never stopped thinking about that deer.

Over the years, I will wonder if my memory was real. But one day, scrolling on social media a grainy image will appear in my feed and there it was: the dead deer hanging from the porch and I will know my memory of it is true.

History:

In April of 1997, a professional sharpshooter was hired to eradicate the deer herd on Monhegan. Introduced decades before, the island’s 80 or so deer had come to be considered a nuisance, thanks largely to overbrowsing and their role in the spread of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. 52 deer were killed. By the following March, there were no more deer left on Monhegan.

- Down East Magazine | Island Institute

STRANGE ROOTS is currently on display at the Edison Studio through August 9 | Monhegan, Island, ME