Shedding

I cried yesterday 
when two deer 

danced across 
our path. The day 

was already 
so beautiful. 

Deep down I believe 
there’s a limit 

to how much joy 
I should be allowed 

to experience. 
But yesterday 

I paid it no mind. 
I took off

my sunglasses 
and showed you

the good news 
singing 

from my eyes.
I’m telling you this

because in a round-
about way I am

teaching myself
about happiness

again. I am through 
with crying—

it’s sweat now 
whispering 

my eyes closed.
I invite the sting

inside and imagine 
a world where 

our antlers never
grow back.

ADAM GIANFORCARO

Adam Gianforcaro is the author of the poetry collection Every Living Day (Thirty West, 2023). A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, his work can be found in The Offing, The Harvard Advocate, Poet Lore, Third Coast, and elsewhere.