At the bedside you
Pray, or maybe suggest
That the feral dogs
Or those abandoned
Do not set
A cacophonous cascade
Of barking
That keeps all awake
At night
This time it is good
No noise at all until four
Then the most wonderful of sounds
Dogs clearly asleep
A Cape Eagle Owl
On our roof
Talking to a mate
A mile away
Replies come back softly
Our friend gets louder
Mice and young guineafowl
Seek shelter
But the cross-talk gets sweeter
Faster and softer
They arrange a rendezvous
In a copse at dawn
Franschhoek, South Africa, March 2014
