Interstitial
Interstitial
here
dead in the pale
a tract allowed to rest
fallow
yellow and dry
at peace
for this year
from the harvester
the forager
the scavenger
there
a sign of life
in the dusk
running
straight-line
under a dust-hung veil
scuttling the earth
in the wide-open space
unprotected
in flight
nearby
a second puff
more dust lifted
at speed
another line
almost parallel to the first
a few degrees off
promising convergence
just before the haven
of a neighbouring coppice
the vectors meet –
a thunderhead of grit
hanging over the intersection
movement and momentum transformed
into a fur and tooth and claw
singularity
* * *
one slinks into the thicket
brushing the dirt from its face
the other drains into the parchedness
a stain fading into the darkening field
R L Raymond, Originally published in "Dead Skunk"