The Earth Exhales

[poliphilo]

The ground smells sour where the tiles have been lying on it for the past 100 years. I thought I'd go dig in it and see if I could find any archaeology, but the top layer is cement and the layer under that is builders' rubble. The ivy and honeysuckle have gone from the side wall.  The workmen said they only intended to trim them back but everything just came away in their hands. I poked about in the empty bed and found a mummified rat.   Of course the roots are still there.

The robin who lives in the backyard is finding all sorts of interesting things in the debris.