By Pavel Chichikov
For Rachel
Owl eyes and curving beak
Scout the forest, hide-and-seek –
Down come acorns, mice and voles
Skitter-scatter from their holes
Find their supper on the ground
Acorns mellow, fat and round
Soothing acorns, bitter-sweet
Fat and oily, good to eat :
Chisel mousie through the shell
The lining of the fruit as well
Snibble-snabble up the nut
Before the trap of night is shut
In and out among the branches
The berry, nut and insect ranches,
Here's a silent seeing bird
A cloud of shadows never heard
As quiet as the scraping by
Of planets moving through the ssky
Owl fly – mousie run,
Swoop and scrabble has begun
Snatching talons need to get
Mice to feed the owlets
Mousie mellow, fat and round
Find your burrow in the ground
(Click here to follow Pavel's ongoing epic poem “The Shoulder of the Sun.” You may visit Pavel's website at http://www.greyowlpress.com.)
