Ah, frightened creature, Having fled into my barn, You can stop trembling now, You are safe from harm.
For I, too, have known The spiteful crack of guns, The fear of sudden death, How unseen bullet stuns.
Lie down upon the floor, Fear not the hunter’s shout. Here, I will close the door, Now you just wait it out.
I have known like fears; My barn is yours to use Till friendly night appears, Forever, if you choose.
A deer has bolted into a barn, chased by hunters, and the man who owns the barn speaks to it in a low, steady voice. He tells it to stop trembling and lie down, and he shuts the door behind it. What makes his kindness believable is the reason he gives: he has been through something similar. The title calls him an ex-soldier, and the second stanza fills in the rest, with its "spiteful crack of guns" and the fear of an "unseen bullet." He recognizes the animal's terror because it was once his own.
The mood is hushed and protective, almost like a lullaby. The short lines and plain rhymes keep things calm, matching the gentle commands of someone trying to settle a frightened creature. The last stanza goes further than a one-night rescue. He offers the barn "forever, if you choose," which suggests he is giving shelter to the deer and, in a quiet way, to his own memories too.