When the callow cricket sings,
beetles and butterflies clap their wings,
the long grass sways, the farmer swinks,
and the wicked winkle winks.
And when a shark bites on a hook,
a school of fish drop all their books,
sea-urchins wince, and with a screech
wild sea-horses gallop out and up the beach.
At night the keeper walks the damp
steps to light the lighthouse lamp;
cobwebs flutter, fish-heads mutter,
and the wicked winkle winks.
And when the lofty lighthouse blinks,
the scallops pause their jigs and jinks,
the scampish captain drinks and drinks,
and a boat, an island, a continent sinks.
(1993)