A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest, by Emily Dickinson

A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest

A wounded deer leaps highest,
I've heard the hunter tell;
'T is but the ecstasy of death,
And then the brake is still.   The smitten rock that gushes,
The trampled steel that springs;
A cheek is always redder
Just where the hectic stings!   Mirth is the mail of anguish,
In which it cautions arm,
Lest anybody spy the blood
And "You're hurt" exclaim!

poems.one - Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson