A first letter

Dear Deer,

It occurs to me that those people with the greatest appreciation for you are those who also like to hunt and kill you. Paintings of you have a kind of kitschy paint-by-numbers feel, and seem inextricably associated with guns, heavy dark-stained furniture, beer can collections and bright orange trucker caps. You deserve more.

Hipsters hang your picture, alongside "ironic" inflated copies of hunting trophies. Again, you deserve more.

I write today to tell you that I love you -- not in some "in killing you I save you from starvation and attain a higher spirituality" kind of way, and not in a "it's funny because it's backwoods, let's drink PBR" sort of way, but because you are strong, resilient, and still dignified in the face of such derision.

I know you have a life of your own, with your own concerns, motivations and objectives, and I apologize for my species' relentless insistence that you fulfill our fantasies of what you are. You are not a symbol or a commodity, I know this. I wish certain others would come to see this as well. Perhaps this letter, written more for our eyes than yours I'll admit, will help in some small way. I wish you all the best, dear deer.

Regards,
A