Dusk surprised me, come so early
The soft drizzle shrouds my reverie
Bright leaves on the branches,
Memories beneath my feet
Golders Hill Girl watches the meadow,
Sandals cast aside
I trip through the pergola
In the beautiful walled gardens
Shrubs & bushes, a stretching magnolia tree
A cornucopia; ferns, hydrangeas, lilac…
And green cherub, Water Baby Fountain
I see the ducks & geese on Swan Pond
Past the butterfly house,
Across the humpback stone bridge,
Into The Stumpery
Squirrels perch on the fence, quizzical, alert;
Grab hazelnuts with paws just like our hands
Some bold, sitting on shoulders
Or feeding from the hand of a girl
Through the muddy meadow to the zoo;
I shelter for a moment
Under the white Gazebo pipes
I look across to the Bandstand
The ancient oak tree standing guard
Deer roaming, an emu, children cheek by jowl
Playground, climbing, swinging, sandpit building
See the wading birds, the eagle owl next door
Hidden in shadow under the far away canopy,
Now all alone; his partner gone not long ago
Wallabies, ring-tailed lemurs and donkeys
Entertain us, look longingly outside their fence
Then I hear the far distance keepers’ bell.
Into the water gardens, rhododendron,
Strange plants, bamboo. Another pond;
Webbed mandarin ducks and Egyptian geese
Follow my steps with bated breath,
In a proud victory formation.
The park keepers’ bell grows still clearer
Dark shapes scurry by on the way to the gate
The thrumming mini-truck falls silent beside me.
“Are you OK? Park’s closing now.”
And he was off again, loud ringing;
Herald of the night
I left deer, ducks, eagle owl, squirrels & the rest
Tucked up until the morning in the sanctuary
© Christopher 2020/2025
Emu is actually Greater Rhea
.