Hares

In March or April, between the trees,
                         ears like streamers in the breeze,

striding with their long legs
                         in enigmatic zig-zags,

sparring and boxing as they go,
                        ardent bucks and exhausted does.

They’re creatures of air, spirits of spring, you say,
shadowy bookends to the working day.

But in in a late summer light circus,
                       when shadows move in and out of focus,

from my hide of long grass I notice, unaware that I am there,
                       a large-eared hare

lolling in the meadow, nose twitching
                       whiskers trembling.

With lopsided gait it breaks into a run,
                       burnished fur gleaming in the sun.

Kim M. Russell, 20th April 2026

Image by Mathias Elle on Unsplash

On the 20th day, we’re two thirds of the way through NaPoWriMo and April is going so fast! The optional prompt today starts by reading ‘Black Swan on Water’ by Carl Phillips, which consists of a single sentence, and the three-line stanzas mimic the ‘braids in water’ in the penultimate line. Furthermore, “the way the lines get longer and longer makes the poem as a whole look a bit like the widening wake that a swan leaves as it swims.”

Our challenge is to write a poem that uses an animal that shows up in myths and legends as a metaphor for some aspect of a contemporary person’s life, including one spoken phrase.

I’ve written several poems about hares before – I love to spot them when I’m out and about – so I took a few lines from a couple of them and created a new one.

Also linked to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night on 7th May 2026.

26 thoughts on “Hares”

  1. This is so beautiful, Kim. I loved the imagery and that last line makes it all comes alive. I had no idea of the quote about hares being ‘shadowy bookends to the working day’. I read the poem twice and the second time made it even more beautiful.

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  4. This is absolutely stunning, Kim! 😀 I especially admire; “They’re creatures of air, spirits of spring, you say, shadowy bookends to the working day.” Yes. ❤️❤️

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