All is milky, secret, female

Running rest-day ...

... and here's a further poem from one of those wonderful collections I received back in December as a Christmas present :-)

And, I can't resist this one from Norman MacCaig, which I've always adored:


Byre

The thatched roof rings like heaven where mice
Squeak small hosannahs all night long,
Scratching its golden pavements, skirting
The gutter's crystal river-song.

Wild kittens in the world below
Glare with one flaming eye through cracks,
Spurt in the straw, are tawny brooches
Splayed on the chests of drunken sacks.

The dimness becomes darkness as
Vast prescences come mincing in,
Swagbellied Aphrodites, swinging
A silver slayer from each chin.

And all is milky, secret, female.
Angels are hushed and plain straws shine.
And kittens miaow in circles, stalking
With tail and hindleg one straight line.

---

Norman MacCaig (1910-1996)