The Ecologist’s Night Shift, Emily Legge

A farmer’s track lit up by sun
Where crows dance above a dragonfly’s run.
Sometimes in rain with boots slipping through
An ever-changing meadow of gold and blue.

Streets full of headlights, and beside them lies
A path where, unnoticed, a tiny bat flies.
Torches of workers, pacing the night,
Guide pens onto paper to report in low light.

Blaring beeps at dusk, at dawn and at day
Keep schedules on track, in their own way.
Trays of egg, juice and bread are fuel for the week
As five more times out, come bats workers seek.

Until week’s end when a train clatters past
To pick up the night ghosts and get them home fast,
Where dreams full of moths, bats and bright flowers too
Keep watch until Monday when it all starts anew.