THINKING LIKE A BADGER CUB...

 Thinking Like A Badger Cub…

“Loose peanuts have again dropped

Inside the entrance to the sett as if wind blown,

Yet surely scattered there for me to find?

I am alerted, if a little disconcerted

But the possibility is that more of them,

 Mixed with those crunchy, tasty, larger

Morsels might be lying in wait outside, as a treat.

And I am rendered interested,

For my instincts and inquisitive mind

Crave sustenance amongst the weeds, now fully grown.

So, my nervous head has now bobbed 

Above the parapet to sense unfamiliarity

And the mouthwatering possibility 

That here and there a small, white piece of meat 

Might lie in wait, for me to stop before,

Sniff at, snatch at and shuffle away with to the sett.

A private, unshared delicacy, surely

With some purpose upon the pathway dropped?

I do sense the presence 

Of a robin, the occasional 

Fat pigeon, an aircraft, or a scary vehicle

On the narrow lane

But also the unmistakeable essence

Of larger mammals, quite unmistakable,

Yet perhaps holding no real threat.

Feeding in their presence

Is generally acceptable

And I stare, I sniff and my slight nod

Is an acknowledgement, my tolerance,

A permission for them to remain

In their clearly awed and amusing silence…”

Pete Ray

7th July 2022 

I would so like to think that the young badger, which is generally the first to emerge from its sett has some kind of trust in my presence…

Crazy, I guess but the tolerance displayed is wonderful…