The Untold Benefits of Stroking Owls

I stroked an owl last night – my debut encounter.
It was somewhat spiritual in a very good way.

A sweet revelation – so soft and downy
and tactile and curiously charming and calming.

I felt my angst and anxiety disappear.
Clean through the top of my head and out to sea.

Stroking owls should be obligatory
before blood pressure checks and all sorts
of invasive and disturbing treatment.

Install an owl in the surgery’s reception
especially one called Perth – A dear young
Aussie owl – Prescribed for the National Health.

He would sort out the nation’s ills.

Install an owl in the House of Commons.
Or even a Parliament of Owls – a repository
of savvy and instinctive wisdom.

They would sort out those fractious MPs.
Or perhaps eat them – whole!

I touched the hand of a Saint once.
Just as soft and tender – in St Peter’s Square.
          St Pope John Paul II.

An intriguing combination – Owls and Saints.