Wild-watch

Wild-watch

Late evening, in the torch beam,
fox eyes brown-glitter, noisette.

Fox shape moves long and low
up the dark meadow.

I watch, observe, peer,
a voyeuse into the wild world.

Fox head turns, eyes brown-glitter, noisette,
and the fox sits, a dog.

Fox sits, watches, observes, me, the voyeuse, and waits.
For what? For me to leave?

Or does it feel the tremor of excitement
of the helpless, rootless human
caught in the optic of the world beyond the glass
the pang of loss that so much is beyond our reach,
and curious, wonder why?

Discover more from The Four Swans

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

18 responses to “Wild-watch”

  1. Misky avatar
    Misky

    Do you think it’s the same fox that took your cat?

    Reply
    1. Jane Dougherty avatar
      Jane Dougherty

      It might be, but there are a lot of foxes about. It was a big one, just sat there, staring at me. What was odd was that it was with a roe deer. When the deer finally trotted off, the fox followed. Being observed by a wild animal is so unnerving!

      Reply
      1. Misky avatar
        Misky

        …but lovely that they weren’t unnerved watching you. ❤️

      2. Jane Dougherty avatar
        Jane Dougherty

        The deer, I think, when they see the torch beam, don’t associate it with a person, and think they can’t be seen anyway, so they ignore it. The fox knows there’s a person behind the beam but I’m not sure it realises ‘the person’ can see it. I like the idea of being observed though.

  2. pvcann avatar
    pvcann

    Here (and here they are feral not indigenous) I noticed in my farming days that they were inquisitive, curious, wary but not frightened.

    Reply
    1. Jane Dougherty avatar
      Jane Dougherty

      Were they introduced to kill the rabbits (also introduced)? The young ones here are curious, but most animals, even the raptors perched on the overhead cables, give us a very wide berth. They don’t trust us, and with reason. The guns are only silent for half the year.

      Reply
      1. pvcann avatar
        pvcann

        Yes, introduced by colonial Chardonnay crowd for rabbit control (also introduced) and for the pleasure of hunting! Gah! I don’t trust some of us.

      2. Jane Dougherty avatar
        Jane Dougherty

        I wouldn’t want to put my life in the hands of many human beings. I’d have no problem trusting a dog though.

      3. pvcann avatar
        pvcann

        Same, they have integrity.

      4. Jane Dougherty avatar
        Jane Dougherty

        Most of us don’t even know what that means.

      5. pvcann avatar
        pvcann

        I think you’re right Jane, many I talk to seem to be so vacant.

      6. Jane Dougherty avatar
        Jane Dougherty

        Doing anything for the common good seems to have slipped out of fashion. It’s one for one and me for me now. Love everybody, but only after we’ve made sure our own little inner nest is cosy.

  3. Melissa Lemay avatar
    Melissa Lemay

    What a beautiful painting. Beautiful words to go along with, from opening to closing.

    Reply
    1. Jane Dougherty avatar
      Jane Dougherty

      I love Franz Marc’s paintings! Thank you xx

      Reply
  4. memadtwo avatar
    memadtwo

    Those wild ancestors must be inside us somewhere. I think that’s what calls to us in these encounters.
    Instead we have let loose the mean destructive ones we invented, the ones who look at nothing but themselves. (K)

    Reply
    1. Jane Dougherty avatar
      Jane Dougherty

      We have a grandstand view of the wildlife from the kitchen window. There’s the bit in front of the house fenced in for the dogs, then the meadow runs down to the trees and the stream. The animals that wander along the stream set the dogs barking, but they just look at them and carry on doing what they’re doing. The deer barely raise their heads. But if I were to go outside, they’d disappear. They know the dogs can’t get them, but they don’t trust us an inch. It’s so sad.

      Reply
      1. memadtwo avatar
        memadtwo

        It doesn’t take long to learn about guns…

      2. Jane Dougherty avatar
        Jane Dougherty

        🙁

Leave a Reply

Discover more from The Four Swans

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading