The soft blown snow that fell five days ago

Crisp frozen now by these five frosty nights

Still blankets all the fields and moors to show

Where pheasant clattered off on noisy flights

While footfall of the lesser birds is scribed

Less deep; and here a small bank vole has run;

There passed red fox and rabbit side by side

Though time kept them apart and saved the one

At the wood edge where lee grass is snow free

Squirrels have buried seeds, but just for fun

Raced around and left a maze of tracks to see

'fore climbing to their dreys when they were done

And my large boots have left their heavy dent

A passage marked before the sun's descent