Mother Earth

Born in February of 2023, people call me a “Springer” ‘cuz this was my first spring. My older cousins, the yearlings, are one year old—they have passed their first full year and two springs.  People call two-to-three-year-olds “subadults.”  Once we leave our mom in our second or third year we are mostly grown up but still get bigger.    Mom gives birth to one or more of us in January or February.  The den she digs for us is like a second womb, we are so small.  We have lots of growing to do, from 1# blind nuggets at birth to maybe 900#s at maturity.

In this earthen womb
Burrowed in dense mother pelt
Eyes open to pitch.

                                                Subadults