a softie mousie
beneath the giant redwood tree
nibbles a seed from a conifer cone.
the owl above
watches with neutral interest,
a twitch of the wing -
it’s too early for supper yet.
the shaded day –
ribbons of light filter through boughs –
time on pause.
the smell of the great woods –
the gnawing of the mouse
is a solitary sound -
no louder than the owl’s thought.