A short walk from the road
you are deep in forest.
Tall mountain ash form
pillars that hold up space
and keep a cathedral
of shade within its walls.
High overhead, a canopy
of leaves curtain the sky
in prayerful whispers.
Tree ferns crowd a gully
where fallen giants bridge
a creek carrying a trickle
of mountain tears.
You keep your silence
not wanting to intrude
on another's grief.
Sometimes you can hear
lyrebirds perform their repertoire
of mimic song. One, they say,
can copy the sound
of a chain saw, another,
the long drawn out whine
of a siren as it races
towards a fire.
Categories:
lyrebirds, bird, fire, nature, tree,
Form: Free verse
Raymond Littlejohn’s favorite bird to study was the lyrebird.
He was an amateur ornithologist who recorded their sounds in the 60’s
They are also called peacock-wrens and Australian birds of paradise
They reside from southern Victoria to south-eastern Queensland.
Their heritage dates back fifteen million years as evidenced by fossils
Lyrebirds have an impressive ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds
True beauty of the male’s huge tail appears when he is in courting mode.
They are one of Australia’s natural resources, and magical in many ways.
Categories:
lyrebirds, bird,
Form: Narrative