Totentanz

Two young magpies chasing

grasshoppers on grass this morning.

Seeing grasshopper on ground, lunge,

grasshopper jumps, chase, grasshopper jumps,

try to predict which way, lunge to spot,

grasshopper has been unpredictable, gone

sideways, try to catch in flight, too fast.

Millions of years of evolution gone into

perfecting this dance of death,

the grasshopper to escape death,

the magpie to find food.

The grasshoppers trying to destroy the garden,

the magpies trying to destroy the grasshoppers.

A fine balance for both sides.

A bit like chemotherapy and cancer.