on autumn

a grey pall
blankets the fields
the rough work of the plough has been broken down
the shallow tines of the field harrow have left a lined tilth
acres of dry, dun soil 
home to a hare
an anxious family of deer
stooped crows pockmark the earth
plucking leather-jackets from the crumbs
staggering left then right
the oaks watching from the margin
discard an occasional leaf
which floats gently to ground
corvids' caws the only sound

~

CLP 12/10/2025