NATURE Poem: swan catching ritual, by Jennie Howitt

tell a swan to stay put
then watch her rush to a river
listen to her wings
sputter against the water

call out her name
‘miss swan’
& watch her surge further away
than fingers can sink into skin

have a picnic on the mudflat
& call her over for tea
bring plenty of reeds
to bind feet to your mat

send the swan letters –
not to the canal –
to somewhere else
in the ether

if there is no response
–fret not –
write back on her behalf
& read it to yourself

then at the first chance you get
wring her long neck
feathers soft in tight hands
keep eyes squeezed shut

preserve the swan as glass
& hold the stillness each night
flatten her to window
so light casts her on your bed

don’t be surprised
to look out your boat
& see her swanning
in the melts of sun

her white feather coat
is no longer locked up –
it glimmers on the water –
she’s gone! she’s gone!