The Dew-Stealers

Who’d want to steal dew?

Maybe not me, maybe not you?

Then again, if you’d discovered

that dewdrops were heaven’s pearls

(the precious spittle of the stars

according to the Roman Pliny)

yes, if dew meant liquid revenue

then even me, even you

might be tempted before sunrise

to creep up on unsuspecting grass

and steal from its store of gems

praying we’re not caught on CCTV

sneaking off with dawn’s treasury

still meting from our fingertips.

© John Agard from The Rainmaker Danced (Hodder)