Richard Thomas

Dig

Should I dig some more of the earth today?
What shattered lighthouse bulb and what riches
should my shovel clank amongst the decay?
The brittle bones laid about in ditches
make each treasure I find more exciting
comparing it with the cracked skull I shook
in my cupped hands after Monday's digging,
or Tuesday's find of a fisherman's hook.
There's got to be an array of wonder
scattered below amongst the stinking dead,
if I just root underneath a shoulder
of a farmer's loved one who'd never wed.

I may find beauty and could sell my land,
move to the sea with five rings on each hand.

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Richard Thomas is a poet based in the South West, and his featured poem 'Dig' was recently shortlisted for the National Poetry Competition. This poem fits its form with a natural kind of ease, suiting the narrative of a rather chilling and indifferent grave robber.