Explain with reference - Between my finger and my thumb The squat pen rests These lines are from Seamus Heaney s - poem Digging the opening poem of his debut poetry collection Death of a Naturalist In this poem Heaney compares his work as a poet to the work of his father and grandfather who were farmers The lines show he will continue the tradition of his forefathers hard work but through writing instead of farming At the beginning of the poem Heaney watches his father digging outside the window The sound of the spade reminds him of his family s tradition of working on the land His father digs potatoes and his grandfather cuts turf He remembers his father was very skilled with a spade He remembers how his grandfather could cut more turf in a day more than any other man He sees both men as hardworking strong