Howie Good

Academe

Deer invaded the building today, singly and in pairs, a panic of white-tailed shadows, campus police in
bulletproof vests rushing to the roof to escape the sight of wolves crossbreeding with dogs in dirty red
bandanas, a small crowd of assistant deans already up there, pointing at a collapsing star, while down in
my suddenly empty classroom, I could barely feel the air shudder or hear the boom-boom of far-of
explosions, a nameless longing for something that doesn’t exist.