Nocturnal Stirrings
by Annie Jenkin

When the world sleeps
and moonlight floats across the forest floor,
silence is broken by those on nightly patrol.
A badger barrels down with snuffles and grunts
shuffling leaves, digging up earth
as a timid hedgehog roots through undergrowth.
Long-eared bats use clicks and pings
snapping up insects mid-air.
Mingling with the sounds of night
the resident red fox lets out
a fierce scream to locate his mate
who perhaps is showing her pups how to hunt.

Yet, before the stars go pale
a robin bursts into song
its sound uplifting, reflecting
the magic of life to be found.

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