Flora – The Glorious Fox Who Came
By OneKind supporter Jenny Pearson
Flora – the glorious fox who came
You had come before
But today was different
You came the day the duke died
The duke of my city
The radio played mournful music
You came once more
You had come as I watched –
A brief moment inside
While the sun shone on,
on the garden
You came
You searched
You lingered
You circled
You danced
And then you came again
This time we ‘spoke’
You paused
You continued your journey
You looked
You listened
To my fox ‘hellos’
You looked more slowly
You feared not
You took time to
re-explore
Search again
Similar routes
to before
But this time you sat
And we conversed
Our eyes locked
Neither of us fearful
You gauged your
own social distance
Most naturally
instinctively
Beautifully
The rules were yours
but never has
six feet
felt so intimate
To have within your garden space
A wild creature
Feels an honour
To have you share
space and time
An unexpected gift
A humbling experience
Where I feel you have
more right to my garden
than I do
With your unguarded
presence
You offered connection
Across species
We both knew
We could be trusted
The saddened music played on
A reminder of the news
The day the duke died
As the flags were lowered
We rose into our shared, magical
garden space – together
You sat once more
You washed those black socks
on which your ginger body dances
You said ‘goodbye’
And you returned from
whence you had come
The gap in the hedge
that had both
brought you in
and let you go
I miss you and look for you
I know you come
But today you came to me
And I thank you
On a day when my city’s Duke died
On a day when Flora lived
a moment of her wild life
with me
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