footsilent

passing through their dreams

dreamdeep

in the inkblack night

 

to water

inkblack water

moon above

moon below

floating

between boats

smooth and still

 

stone on stone 

silversilence

waiting

 

from the dark

the nightghost heron

featherheavy

lands

glances me once

and proceeds to fish

 

now the fox

crunching mussel

rock to rock

close enough to touch

eyes me curious

and continues

 

above

the bat

and from the ivy

the rat's wise eye

coolly

regards me

 

so here we are

as dawn turquoise

shards the breaking sky

 

totems all

and artemis

untamed

 rising

At Summer Solstice, 2009, I walked down through the village where I live to see the sun rise over the harbour. As I waited on an old stone seat built into the harbour wall a heron flew out of the night sky to land just to my left. Shortly afterwards a crunching sound began off to my right as a young fox appeared to eat the mussels  exposed by the tide. It worked its way slowly from rock to rock until it came level with me where it looked curiously at me, and continued. Next there was a rustling behind me and a rat emerged from the ivy to glance quizzically at me before going its way. As dawn broke a bat flew above us all.