Thanks for the encouraging comments about the aural quality of my owrk. I do focus on that — in fact, it’s one of the main ways I have of telling whether something’s any good or not. If I listen hard and find the right sounds, then quite often I’ll find the right images and ideas at the same time. It’s a mystery to me why that works so well.

The problem with ticks here is that they can carry Lyme’s disease — though generally not at this time of year, my mother informs me. Still, it’s disheartening to see all these ticks in the woods now. We never saw a single tick here when I was growing up. This is a direct effect of global warming.

But that apart, great piece of work Dave. I find that everything you write ‘reads’ beautifully when spoken aloud. Words fit together so satisfactorily and meanings emerge as they should. (Like slipping on a bespoke suit from the hands of a master tailor and knowing that you look good.) I’m sure actors would love reading them.

Ticks! Yes. Never saw them until we moved into the countryside to live in proximity to sheep. The dog gets them all the time in the Summer, and his daily grooming includes the removal of them. I once had one too, discovered while showering not long after we arrived here. It was buried in the soft flesh of my underarm. Not a good moment. Of course I’m less squeamish now, and always carry a little forked tick-remover in my back pocket. Just in case.

Either way, a well-conceived poem-like thing.