READ IN TOOTH AND CLAW
Apr 07, 2022
4 minutes
THE LAST HIGH AND LOW OF A MOUSE
Driving my van at half past six
between Grateley and Cholderton
on my way to drop two,
Only sixteen more to do.
A mouse scuttles, swiftly, across my way.
I slow. He survives to get to the other side.
He jumps onto the grassy bank.
He survives. Alive! Phew!
Swoop! Flash! Kestrel.
Death. Dead mouse. Bird food.
I am sad. I almost cry.
One family thrives as another one dies.
Run. Jump. Heart thumps.
Living. Ecstatic. Happy.
Dive. Grab. Talons.
Death. Life. Sadness.
Poets recognise the importance of observation, and how spotting one of life’s tiny details can be the creative spark that produces their next poem. They to where not just a poem but an emotional experience developed.
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