Weekly Poem: 'Morning, and as sun is born'

**By Joan Houlihan** Morning, and as sun is born from dark ours father took the track to where the red deer ran except one stood great-headed, tall, of a size and look to put in mind that reach of what us were and came to be and how us were the smaller. What formed hims elk-head godly, as from an inner body, bone-branched, notched and wide spread and sprouted out and up and him on a standing, watchful and seen, ran the forest, head-struck and stuck between the trees. Ours stick sharp for the kill lifted high, in and in, and from hims throat a groan went, leg bent, knelt, then all of him were loosed and spread in large and steaming breath, ours stick-holes streaming red.   "Joan Houlihan":http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/joan-houlihan has published three books, including "The Us" (2009, "Tupelo Press":https://www.tupelopress.org/books/the_us). In 2004, she founded the Concord Poetry Center, and in 2006 she established the Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference for advanced writers. She teaches at Lesley University's low-residency M.F.A. in Creative Writing program.