The Shell

It seems strange to say it but

we’ve been constrained to a limited space.

We do have the privilege of a garden.

It’s all relatively new to us. A blessing just in time

before the world got stopped.

We established our very own animal pub there-

it’s called The Grain & Shell.

Birds & squirrels

feed & drink

& fight &

dance & mate,

but this Winter the water in the shell freezes

first a below-zero ice-skating rink, then a small mountain of hard snow.

Thirsty squeaking little birds cannot break through it;

squirrels lick the frozen surface

then leave in clear disappointment.

Every morning after tea & coffee

we now put another kettle on & melt

the glacial, hazy and rigid mirror

& watch the lot steam up in the cold air.

(We do make sure it’s not too hot- we don’t want to scald the punters).

The Shell, these days, gets frozen

almost right away, these cold days.

Nevertheless we do persist.

It will get warmer,

in the end.

Published by Ernesto Priego