1. A slippery fleet of slugs boat their bloated bellies through a purple sea. Silvered beneath peeping moon, slivered between branches beaded with dew, rippled by the billow of a barn owl’s silent wing.

 

2. A starling winks in a vast constellation, wisped between bluebells, branches, clouds. Weathering weight of the cosmos splashed on her back with beak unzipped, billowing galaxies. Gregarious finite thing folds stars in the furl of a wing.

 

3. A child beheading daisies for her crown of minute suns dreams of a tree stump throne, winking woodlice blinking beetles creeping clustered clouds of moss. Promising swift justice for her fierce and frenzied friends, forcing bluebells from their beds with raking fingers. Crown completion postponed by tea-time’s timely call – forest-fleeing, flowers folded, stars in the furl of a school dress.

 

4. A child crowned with tiny suns treads tentative a path through bluebelled wood to reach an upturned tree, roots raking skyward desperately; where suns have raised and dropped their white pinheads beyond a timeless purple sea, slivering moons slipping silverly sailing the decades and now the child is grown. Her throne displaced for democracy, down on the ground with fierce-loved friends, gregarious finite things.