First thing in the morning
As soon as the sun rises
From the misty frozen paddocks
The cockatoos alight in band
On the dead ghost gum branches
To bask in the warm sun rays
Giving their long dead host
The momentary illusion
Of being alive and striving
To sway in the breeze
Once again for evermore
The ghost gum drapes itself
In a bellied white shroud
Screeching the bejesus out of the day
The old ghost gum soul
Daydreams again
Of the time when
It was lording over all
In the blink of an eye
The cockies take flight
The old ghost gum
Returns to its perpetual solitude.
When the sun goes down
The grey and pink galahs
Come to stay in their turn
To salute the last of the warms rays
Once again the ghost gum soul,
But for a moment,
Is stirred and awoken
From its unending slumber
To acquire an abundant exotic crop
Whose voices unite
To vow to meet on the morrow
Same place, same time
Before flying away
In the darkening sky
Leaving once again
The lone ghost gum
Sleeping away the forlorn night.
Lucette C. Bailliet
All rights reserved
*cockies are yellow sulphur crested white cockatoos
Galahs are pink and grey cockatoos .
