today
by the underpass
the jackdaw
jabs criss-cross
the openfield
square by square
like police finger tips
search long grass
juicy with sap
between silk stems
and butter cups
his grey helmet head
and thick neck
bobbing
bobby beating back and forth as
he struts
tips his head and listens for
leather jackets and slow worms and
stabs the soft ground
recent rain after
a dry april spell
sweetsmell wet grass as
i pass
under
Inspiration: I live very close to Southampton Common and every day during lockdown, before breakfast, my husband and I would cycle round and round the Common for permitted exercise. We liked to go early before there were too many people about. In May, when there were buttercups everywhere, I noticed the behaviour of several jackdaws which strutted about like policemen in helmets and worked on the image as I rode home.
Pens of the Earth is about encouraging writers to celebrate existing environmental initiatives, and to imagine what might be.
Help us to support our global reforestation charity Tree Sisters and plant 2,000 trees by March 2021.
Click on the logo above to donate via Pens of the Earth’s TreeSisters page. Every £10 plants around 25 trees.
Learn more about Pens of the Earth: www.pensoftheearth.co.uk.
Sign up to the Pens of the Earth mailing list.
Follow Pens of the Earth on Facebook and Twitter to stay informed.
Star & Crescent are proud to support Pens of the Earth as a media partner. Stay up to date with all the Pens of the Earth stories as they’re published here.
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay.
