THE KOOKABURRA'S LAUGH
by Gaele Arnott
The Kookaburra laughs at me
from the top of the tree.
His words of laughter sing to me
of the days from long ago.
He brings the message to my heart
of things I need to know.
He shares with me the knowledge of this great land
before white man came.
He passes words of wisdom, to me
that I may understand
how precious is the earth
on which my feet now stand.
His song tells of the gloroius scarifice
that many trees did make
to hold the soil together, before the avent of man.
He brings me stories of volcanoes,
of cylconic winds and storms,
that whirled acorss the planes
to form the vibrational sounds, created within this land.
The Kookaburra reminds me
that these vibrations are also within me,
as I, the proud Australian
learn the history of the land.
The history of Australia, now told to me
sits strong within my mind.
It is time to share this knowledge
with others of my kind.
It is time to share the vibrations
and the Knowledge of Australia,
with others of our kind.
It is time that other nations
understand that what we share, here with one another
is also their joy to share.
The sun shines brightly upon my head,
the Kookaburra laughs at me,
as he flies from his place in the tree,
to another tree in anothr place
where in laughter he may share his knowledge
with another such as me.
THE HOLIDAY
by Gaele Arnott
A holiday.
The traffic still.
A peace surrounds me
that is seldom felt
in the heart of the city dweller.
A roar in the distance
trickles to me as I sit beside
Downfall Creek.
This creek trickles too,
from lack of rain and the tide of civilisation
which dammed the flow
that city dwellers may be
civilised and modernised.
In the middle of three million people I sit in peace.
A cat sleeping beside me,
a bird on the window sill sings
of adventure beyond the creek.
The family of frilly lizard play joyfully in the sun
as a cow moos in familiarity
at the scene by Downfall Creek.
My thoughts pause to listen
to the sound of the call from the Kookaburra.
The wind stirs and sends a message
of change.
The duck family suddenly silent no longer
from their home beneath the bridge.
A family of crow fly in circles overhead
foretelling rain.
The wind breathes more softly through the trees
as the message understood,
preparations are made by the animal kingdom.
A light plane circling overhead
reminds the city dweller of the beauty and the peace
which can be found
if only one can listen to the sound
of the country
when there is no sound
on this holiday.
Anzac Day 2000 - Brisbane Australia.
