1. Carry the owlet carefully on a bed of dandelion clocks
to an oak tree and lay the owlet in its shade.
2. Press your back against the oak tree and let its strength
judder through you; hear its convoluted growling voice
3. As you hold the owlet up high; the oak tree’s force
will blast though you to its heart. This will take all night.
4. Gather your strength, be brave; black clouds race across the sky,
you will hear howls, rustles and rough claws scratching.
5. Giant black toadstools will spring up, beckoning,
their gills opening and closing as if to swallow you
6. Your arms will ache. Halfway through the night, just as you want to give up,
two shining birds will come and hold up your sleeves.
7. Sing twoo-oo-twoo terwit, terwit over and over until it turns
into terwit-too-woo, terwit too-woo….
8. Light will stream through the oak’s branches, it’s morning!
Sleep, owlet; you are saved. Sleep, child of courage, all is well.
.
Ruth Hobson
.