The Clocaenog Red Squirrel Trust has collaborated with eco-poet Diana Sanders to highlight the challenges facing Clocaenog’s endangered red squirrels through poetry. Eco-poetry blends creative expression with environmental activism, offering a powerful way to engage people with issues such as habitat loss, noise pollution, disease from grey squirrels, and the wider vulnerability of this rare Welsh species. Through these poems, Caro Collingwood (Red Squirrel Ranger) and Diana hope to inspire greater awareness and support for red squirrel conservation.
Each week we’ll be featuring one of the poems written in Diana’s workshop.
Red squirrel morning by Andrew Sumner
Outside is chill; dray is safe. So, snuggle
and return to sleep in dry moss warmth.
Steady breathing, a slow heartbeat.
But the air is softly scented with leaves, pollen, rain, a fox. A wood pigeon is calling and sheep bleat somewhere.
I’m awake.
Up!
Outside?
Peep.
Look right,
left,
down,
up.
Leap.
Spread legs to fly…
Land, scrabble,
turn, run,
stretch. Leap.
Stop!
What was that?
Run.
Stop.
Twitch.
Leap and pause,
stand on back feet,
front paws on log.
Peep… See food.
Where food?
There!
Dash,
stop,
listen.
Freeze,
listen.
Flick tail,
look right,
head on one side,
twitch ears.
Listen.
Leap on log.
Run, balance with tail,
leap to branch.
Stop.
That noise again–
An acorn!
Grab it.
Freeze.
No one coming.
Acorn in mouth.
Dash for tree.
Up, up,
look sideways,
freeze.
Sit up,
slowly turn head to one side.
clasp front paws,
tail catching light,
watch, flick tail.
Dash to branch.
Chew acorn,
expose nut,
nibble,
chew frantically.
Dash up trunk.
Stop.
Turn.
Look.
Wave tail – balance.
Careful now;
leap for drey.
P h e w!
A n d – b r e a t h e.
H e a r t r a t e s l o w s–
b r e a t h i n g c a t c h e s u p–
a n d r e s t…
What’s that noise?
