Letting go

It’s always a surprise to see 

The bucks in the midst 

Of losing their horns each spring: 

Like snakes shedding their skins,

 They seem to understand that growth 

And gain require willingness 

To sacrifice what has gone before — 

Something we humans struggle with, 

Clinging as we do to what is or was 

Instead of trusting what’s to come.

But perhaps it’s just their natural male itch 

To shed what’s old in hopes of something new?