The correct way to meet a red squirrel by Rhiannon Rual
Alisander
Brought here by the Romans
Is now a green native
Salsa-seeded aromatic
For those in the know
As for wild garlic
A farmers’ market staple
It hangs its star-studded flowers
In pungent profusion
Far from gastropub reach
So far so familiar
But you need to chance further
Take a turn from the tracks
Set forth into frenemy country
Where the roots of otherness run
Deep
Where the trees whisper
Among themselves
Their long-held beliefs
Sharing without caring
Keeping their community of fungi
Close
Walk till you feel under the scrutiny
Of wide-eyed indifference
And a broken twig alarms the air
That’s when you freeze and they scurry
A red shake in a tall tree
And for as long as it takes
A pinecone to fall
Or the hush to return
You’ll feel part of the forest
Therefore
Free