Edging in

New in town,
during lockdown,
we watch the birds.

Give them water to bathe in,
scrape and flush away their poo,
and all the pecked-at fruit.

Water our peas, radishes, cabbage,
lettuces, rocket, dill –
not everything has germinated,
but still.

I go swimming on the quiet,
and when the regulations lift,
you fish: catch lunch,
and supper.

Wildflowers
in the vase
on the table.

We’re edging in
on the ecosystem here –

it’s getting used
to us.

– Silke Heiss, 5th June 2020