Sun bears in Edinburgh Zoo
Cold, so cold, the Coke tin sears the fingertips
Knife wind slits throats bloodlessly
Past the cartoon restaurant, soiled by cold chips on plastic trays
In the craggy emptiness
Past the penguins who stand
With time on their flippers
Past addresses of large cats
Who hide, except for the tiger
Who does not deign to look
As we press our eyes against the glass
The sun bear has long claws like trowels
He has no sun and wants to go home
Mike Shreeve lives in Sussex and his poetry is inspired by people places, love and a sense of wonder which he calls the unknown. His recent collection Poems from the Unknown is available on Kindle.