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The second line came quickly and was quite blunt. Dead. From the first line the deer appeared to be alive. Just as the poem was starting to warm up, it was cut off. The abruptness starting in the second line shows how the deer must have died. It was living a happy life and out of nowhere the deer's life was taken. The now dead deer is lying on the edge of a road. I believe Stafford chose a deer because if the animal was a raccoon or a possum the speaker would have kept driving. Typically, when a smaller animal is hit by a vehicle, there isn't much left of them. .
The word choice of "edge" can also be significant towards the poem's hidden meaning. "Edge" has numerous denotations. One being a border or a brink, which is the literal meaning in the poem. Another definition is the feeling of "being on edge," in other words, nervous and tense. The speaker could feel uneasy about the situation and the choices he has to make. It is interesting that Stafford gives the road a name, the Wilson River road. Labeling the road makes it seem as if this is a common location where animals are often struck by vehicles. Giving the name of the road also makes the situation feel as if it is suspended in time. It is one deer, one person, and along one road. Every second that passes is a second the speaker loses to make a decision. Another deer could run by or another car can come around the corner.
Stafford continues to show the speaker's thoughts, "It is usually best to roll them into the canyon" (3). What I caught in this line was the word "usually," which can indicate that he has something else in mind. Possibly the man will try to bring the deer back to life or maybe looking on the darker side, he will bring the deer home and keep it for its meat. Next, the speaker says the place to roll the deer into is the canyon. Why a canyon? A canyon is typically a long drop making the edge a cliff.
