Mole

“The poetry of the earth is never dead.”  John Keats

the earth
­                   is baked
the grass
­­                   long gone
from fissured fields
earth
trickles
through
my
fingers
­                   in shades of brown and grey

I long for soft red clay
infused with water

and squat
a pink-nosed mole
my earthy fingers
digging deep
for damp soil

Kim M. Russell, 27th August 2018

My poem for dVerse Poets Quadrille #63 – earth

This Monday I’m hosting the Quadrille and the word is ‘earth’. All you have to do to join in is take any meaning of the word and transform it into 44 poetic words.

62 thoughts on “Mole”

  6. More of our brethren are using quotes; certainly pleases me. Your Keats quote is cousin to my Rilke one. Erosion and drought and climate change are all in the front row of our life these days; your ode to a mole
    is sweet & creative–but what’s next–a waltz for a wasp?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. were that I could send some bees your way! (so far, few wasps, but it’s still early, for late though …. waltzing for wasps, and a ballads to bees …. poems to be penned for sure!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. They get thirsty too and when it’s dry they can’t even get moisture from roots. Luckily my garden is a haven for all kinds of creatures as it never seems to dry out. When the field opposite is brown and crackling, our back garden is still lush. Unfortunately, Luna, our older cat, knows this and she lies in wait for them.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. I’m hoping to build a water fountain in my back yard soon to help the wildlife in the summers. My cat was sitting on the front porch this morning lazily watching squirrels cavort not 10 yards away. I’m not too worried about him catching any birds. The hunter instinct seems to have gone dormant in him.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. The feel of wet earth is palpable in your words — it evokes images of summers, droughts, and the comforting first rains.
    I liked the single-worded lines where the earth trickles through your fingers; it gives it a lovely flow. The line breaks can do so much to a verse.
    -HA

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  9. this is a powerful 44 Kim ~ absolutely well done and the form really adds the extra element to it … and each word is precise, proves the point and reinforces the images …. and yes, to be those (sometimes pesky) moles, they can really do so much damage by one night, not that it matters where I am, so I don’t mind – but they are fascinating creatures …. and now, I’m off to think about, The Wind in the Willows …. hmmm ….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. LOL – yes, now I have a whole host of characters from my absolute fave childhood book waving “hello” in my brain … *sigh* (actually, kind of a wonderful thing right now) … hmmm … what a very open-ended prompt (I thanked you for it, but now, I might have to say, “I’m going mad for it! 😉 )

        Like

  10. What a great photo, and the fingers and the pink nose brought back my childhood. I love accessing the mole’s quest, “I long for soft red clay
    infused with water”. Beautifully written.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. My goodness this is stunning! ❤ Love the image; “I long for soft red clay infused with water and squat a pink-nosed mole my earthy fingers digging deep for damp soil.” 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. I keep several shallow bowls out of water for the bees and insects, also if sugar water. People forget that insects get thirsty too. Bee keepers in the area are urging people to leave out bowls or saucers of sugar water for the bees and water for the smaller creatures. I love moles. I love your poem of the mole digging its way up

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. We need more people to do this, Toni. Our garden is so green and juicy the insects and animals thrive in it. But I don’t know what happened to the bees this year; for a few weeks I saw plenty, then it was only wasps.

      Like

      Reply

      1. here in the states, an infestation of mites has wiped out whole colonies of bees and bats. my bat house has seen no action this year. we are doing all we can to promote bees. hence the suggestions to people to water and feed the bees. So sad.

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Pingback: A Homo’s Inquiry – DoodleScribbles

  21. The reader – me – and I squat and become the pink-nosed mole. 🙂 Love the shift in voice. Have never seen one of these up close…amazing photo you found. And oh yes….they would be in search of some moisture within the earth. A delightful response here to your prompt! 🙂 The earth in the perception of one of its smallest creatures 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  23. Beautiful poem–and Keats’ quote, too. I like the gentle tone of this.
    We’re having a resurgence of summer here. It’s supposed to get close to 100 F here–and it’s humid, too. It’s more lush green than cracked earth here right now.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  26. “from fissured fields
    earth
    trickles
    through
    my
    fingers”

    This reminds me of that heart-rending scene in “The Grapes of Wrath,” when the farmer holds the dust from his field in his hand and cries out to heaven.

    You’ve written a haunting and poignant poem, Kim!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  27. Pingback: On This Earth – Dark Side of the Moon

  29. That lovely picture of the mole is a © image belonging to David Cole – he licensed it to the Telegraph for a single use only – they cannot pass it on to a third party. Photographers rely on licensing for their livelihood but the nicer ones do not spring to lawyers – just to say be careful the bigger agencies don’t hesitate to sue for damages.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.