A walk on the wild side

It’s been a good year
for the foxes
they all turn up
in the back garden
looking well-fed
in their rich dense fur

I’ve observed them
gathering from time to time
on the shed roof
when the sun is out
and watched them taking note
of everything around them

in particular
they have been studying
the agility of the cats
that appear every so often
that wander back and forth
prima donnas
paying no attention to anything
other than themselves

and today
for the first time
I saw not one fox but three
walk along the edge
of a garden fence
with all the nonchalance
of their feline friends
first they played tag
gambolling amid the tufts
of the tall grass
before one by one
they leapt onto the wall
and with perfect balance
strutted across
the thin wooden bar
professionals all the way

John Lyons