writing

rutting in the Spring

rut 1
n.

1. A sunken track or groove made by the passage of vehicles.

2. A fixed, usually boring routine.

tr.v. rutĀ·ted, rutĀ·ting, ruts
To furrow.

rut 2
n.

1. An annually recurring condition or period of sexual excitement and reproductive activity in male deer.

2. A condition or period of mammalian sexual activity, such as estrus.

intr.v. rutĀ·ted, rutĀ·ting, ruts

To be in rut.

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don’t you find it interesting
how a cold winter
where escape tracks
are left in the snow
and the boring routine
of being trapped inside

can lead to the fervent Spring
where animals crave
to be tangled together,
mating in new
and interesting
shapes.

here is the same word
with an entirely
opposite meaning

and indeed . . .
the exhaustion
and death of one

does always lead
to the blossoming
of another.