Kookaburra, please don't cry
We did not mean for you to die
In ferocious fires by north winds fanned
And lit by a vindictive hand
Or a mind confused and so deluded
That it won't rest, 'til task concluded
Ends in needless devastation

Lorikeets with plumage bright
And possums running through the night
-we'll miss you

Kookaburra, your jovial call
We welcome each and every morn
As sure as each new day doth dawn.
Call out now fella, and warn your mates
Of their approaching murderous fate
With harsh fires blazing at their backs
Confused, they cannot find their tracks

Leap kangaroo and scurry lizard
Pay heed to him whose tiring gizzard
Calls to alert you to the prey
Of fire which escapes the hoses spray
And travels quickly through the trees
Bringing firefighters to their knees
Though brave their efforts

We'll be grateful if our houses stand
And human life is saved
For firefighters who battle on
For days and nights they've slaved
But regeneration is a gem
And we'll look forward to the moment when
Both flora and fauna repopulate
The bush ere trashed by man... or fate

01/01/2002

Posted on 01/01/2002
Copyright © 2024 Anne Howe