I’m a grey squirrel,
loveable in my autumn frenzy,
gathering sustenance for the coming season.
You are content to observe me
scampering in gardens and parks,
flying from branch to branch,
leaping from path to bench,
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
You laugh as a scurry
of clouds devours the sky,
grey squirrels nibbling the azure
until it disappears, and you’re unsure
when the shift from summer
to autumn occurred.
Kim M. Russell, 31st August 2019
My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Weekend Mini Challenge: The Unreliable Narrator
This weekend, we are exploring the concept of the unreliable narrator in poetry with Björn. He says it was first defined in 1961 as a story told by someone whose credibility is seriously compromised. Björn says that many of his favourite books use this type of storytelling and mine do too. I think the first novel I read like that was Wuthering Heights, in which there are several narrators, unreliable in their own ways.
I’ve tried to think of unreliable narrators in poetry and only Edgar Allen Poe’s poems came to mind, although I’m sure I’ve come across others, which is why I find today’s prompt both challenging and exciting. Björn asks us to tell stories that are not ours, to exaggerate and lie while thinking about how to expose ourselves as unreliable narrators.
writing in north norfolk 
Nice writing 👌
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Thank you so much!
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Your and my guess, Kim. I checked
my calendar and it isn’t calling it.
I like squirrels, your poem and those helped make my day.
..
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Thanks Jim!
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I love squirrels.. and today we actually had an incident with a squirrel that we had to save after he accidentally fell into a water barrel…. I have never seen any squirrel run and jump as fast as that one when he got out of the barrel…
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Poor squirrel! I keep an eye on our waterbutt, it’s right outside my study window.
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Lovely poem, Kim. I like watching squirrels around our house. Squirrels and chipmunks live at a
higher speed than us humans and are always busy and on the alert. Love watching my cats
watching the squirrels through the window.
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Thank you, Peggy! We have some chubby squirrels in our garden. I’m sure our cats have spotted them, but I think (and hope) they’re too fast for them.
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I love the scurry of clouds devouring the sky , and the suggestion of the squirrels’ nibbling having something to do with the changing of the seasons. How cool.
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Yesterday morning, the clouds looked like squirrels, and one of the collective nouns for squirrels is a scurry! This morning, the clouds have a swirly marble effect. Isn’t nature wonderful?
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I love the squirrels “nibbling the azure until it disappears, and you’re unsure when the shift from summer
to autumn occurred.” Down south here it is still summer and will be until 9/21. After that I am not sure. Not many squirrels in these parts. The hawks and cats keep them down. But I do love watching them scurrying about in other parts of the city.
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The squirrels in our garden are chubby, cheeky and very busy, which is a sure sign of autumn coming, There’s a satisfying chill in the air this morning, too. I can’t help but smile. 🙂
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A very intriguing viewpoint. I love the way you expressed the change of seasons at the end.
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Thank you, Kerry.
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I love at squirrel thinks I’ve got nothing better to do than watch him 🙄🤣. Love it!
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😊
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That sounds very much like my day today. Suddenly last summer. I’m not sure when the sky turned grey but it surely was as quickly as a squirrel scampering.
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We’ve had mixed weather today, spectacular cloud shapes, rain showers, and now the sky is pretty much clear except for a couple of little rosy clouds.
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What a lovely poem. I never see squirrels here in our yard.
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Ours are a cheeky bunch, Linda!
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Smiling!
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Not delighted when I catch him digging in my potted plants! (K)
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🙂
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This is gorgeously drawn, Kim! ❤️ I especially love the image; “You laugh as a scurry of clouds devours the sky, grey squirrels nibbling the azure until it disappears.” 😀
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Thank you, Sanaa! 🙂
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Perfect for the changing season!
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Thanks Susie!
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Like others, the scurry of clouds is a great image – and always that unreliable moment when seasons swap – I’m writing this on our first truly spring like day – it’s hot, blowy and there’s no doubt the winter’s gone – but just when I couldn’t say (and we don’t have squirrels here, so I can’t blame them).
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Thank you, Peter. This morning the sky is completely grey and it’s raining, with a chill on the air. Even Luna, our older cat who is always out and about, is staying indoors!
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