Night comes
And the cloak of night spreads its wings.
The forest settles down to its silent routine,
As the wind through branches sings.
The creatures of the hills and the forest
Settle down to a well-earned rest;
Having succoured and fed their families,
Preparing them for life’s future test.
The foal in the field moves close to the mare,
And the calf suckles up to its mother.
The owl in the barn stretches its wings,
And the fox slips from cover to cover.
The last rays of the sun touch his feathers,
As the eagle settles down near his nest.
His mate covers her eaglets with her wings,
And the sunset disappears in the west.
The bats in the belfry start fidgeting,
And start to practice their sound.
Then off they go in a gossamer cloud,
Pinging their sonar all over the ground.
Albert Armstrong,
Percy Street,