A quiet chill

Redolent of last nights fire

A tang trapped in the dew

That pocks the lawn with a thousand bursts

Like a carpet of sleeping fireflies

A distant call

Lady Cardinal reminds her hub

To bring home some tasty treats

For the youngsters breakfast

As he flashes crimson in the hedge

A Frieda smile

Turning with a new caught stick

A cobweb from the hedge

She has been rooting in for treasures

then a happy tail swish as she flops.

A coffee waits

In a silence the neighbours miss

As they turn to stare at android worlds

Or snooze away a glorious sunshine

melting the shadows of the night.

ml’23