koalas or lighthouses?
how many lighthouses
is too many?
how many koalas
enough?
seeking balance
always
Tag: wildlife
The Platypus Band
The Platypus Band
They say in Eungella
‘midst the river and sand
when darkness descends
and night cools the land
‘tis then that you’ll hear
what you can’t understand
no your ears don’t deceive you
it’s the Platypus Band.
It starts nice and calm
yes, perhaps a bit bland
til bats flood the sky
and the moment’s at hand
when wings beat the darkness
the duck-bills will jam
and belt out their anthem
We’re the Platypus Band!
Oh you may think it’s quiet
in the hills of Queensland
with only the creek’s lilt
to sing to a man
oh I doubt you’ll believe
til you hear it firsthand
those monotremes in stereo
they’re the Platypus Band!
farmstay vs. caravan park
farmstay vs. caravan park
after a string of caravan parks
here we are
camped on a farm
and we all go loose and easy
with room to run and kick a ball
and the great big sky of stars
arching over us
bright enough you can name them
even through the tent screen
and the dark’s black enough
to be able to slip into sleep
whenever you’re ready
crickets keep up a drone
so different from generator
and the highway’s a quiet whisper
in the distance
as the night lengthens the heat here actually ebbs –
at last we’ve found a place where sleep brings cool
over by the office Tilly the kangaroo dreams
her long hind limbs splayed in visible peace
Magnetic Island Koala
Magnetic Island Koala
you might miss him
except the wind’s rustling
the fine white fur of his inner ears
setting it to wave in the blazing sun
just enough movement to expose a soul
he clings to the trunk
with black barbed toes
head sinking with each exhale
like a tired toddler in her car seat
incomparably fuzzy in a grey suit
that must be stifling hot this noon
his eyes are mere sunken dots
turned inward, shut and dreaming
one leg’s kicked up a bit
to steady his slumbering self
and when his jaw slackens
and his lips loosen in sleep
four yellow twisted teeth emerge
(oh my)
not befitting the rest of his form
rather like a handsome British lord
with disappointing dental work
in the end, however, charm prevails
Coral Sea Dreaming
Coral Sea Dreaming
floating
in 4 dimensions
all blue
waiting
and then
a gentle soul
flaps quietly
held suspended
by a sea of salt
and imagination
waterless ocean
waterless ocean
it’s a curious feeling
this waterless ocean
sea + sand but no
bathing floating quenching
the water does all its usual things
but not to us
chock full of crocs with restless jaws
and box jellies that would unwittingly kill us
(the sign warns apply vinegar
+ immediately begin CPR –
the pain’s so excruciating
it’ll truly stop your heart)
we wander the shore
like Victorian ladies
who for now must keep
our lacy petticoats dry
hammerhead
hammerhead
strolling on the tame paved Esplanade
late on an empty Monday morning
we eye a pole flexing
with the tell-tale wiggle of fish
and the man in black
with an unkempt white beard
racing to grab the rod
we pause to see
whether he’ll land it
and sure enough
the line drags heavy on the sand
with the fish’s pull
but, no, it’s not –
this shape is all angles
sharp tail
and misshapen face
we all gasp in horror
then recognition
shark
not only that but
hammerhead
the eyes like afterthoughts
on metastasized lumps of face
the mouth when the man flips the creature over
a half-moon of needles
begging to prick
but the skin feels
surprisingly smooth calm reasonable
innocent
it’s a baby
a few weeks old
and he can’t heave it
back into the aqua of Trinity Bay
too soon for my suddenly squeamish taste
mass migration
Owen took these photos.
mass migration
a river of frigatebirds
overhead
all afternoon
we crane our necks
barely believing
such abundance still exists
in this beat-up old world
their angular bodies
hardly beat a wing
merely stream like
living contrails
on target
on task
their every gesture says
certain
knobbed hornbills overhead
Owen took these photos.
knobbed hornbills overhead
like the thick whoosh
of hot air balloon flame
they lift off
you don’t need to
let your eyes leave the trail
to know they’re overlooking you –
you feel it in the helicopter pulse
their wings make
if you’re lucky you might catch
a long black cross sailing away
and be satisfied
imagine then
seeing the pair clearly
flying down the open valley
level with the canopy
black bodies bookended by
yellow red & blue noble heads
and trailing white tails
and the most amazing part is
there’s still a forest big enough
for their grand presence
Kokoro
Owen took this photo. Kokoro is the local name for the Togian hawk-owl, which was first described in the scientific literature in 2004. We saw this little owl several times at Bahia Tomini. The staff called this individual owl Kokoro, which is also the sound this species makes.
Kokoro
little Kokoro
materializing from black sky and palm leaf
a tiny spirit
to watch over our evenings
he sits quietly
never even murmuring his name
watching us with
round golden rings of alert eyes
his blade of a beak
a still secret
in the middle of his sweet gentle face
tonight he appeared
close enough to touch
wanting to not be missed
inviting us to say hello
and when Cedar stood alone with him
and whispered a kind greeting
Kokoro cocked his little head
all attention and understanding
fully engaged in their
friendly tête-à-tête
