JUMPY BADGERS...

 Jumpy Badgers

There was a hesitancy,

A transparency,

In the lifting of a snout,

A shifting about

Of the badge, or mask

And interjections within the task

Of foraging, of feeding,

Of selective kneading

And rapid dashes and turns and rushes,

Through myriad leaves and flourishing bushes…

There was an obstinacy,

A conspiracy,

A spirited jostling,

A shoving and jousting,

Indiscriminate fighting,

Twisting and biting,

Tumbling and chasing, 

With stubborn legs bracing;

But soon, when alerted, a retreating

With a quite sudden exit, fleeting… 

Pete Ray

2nd July 2021

Badgers at Temple Balsall, 30th June 2021.

The ‘badge’ or ‘mask’ are terms which refer to the face, obviously!

There was a group rumble in the copse, like a playground scrap, then a quite sudden exit by five or six badgers…