Jeltje Fanoy #16 - 2 kulin nation seasons (Upper Yarra Valley)

this is for
th children

th meandering path,
th ferns in th rainforest,
scientifically managed
in our "living" museum

with real, live birds

one wonderful day,
when it was quiet,
I watched a bowerbird
dance around in his bower
with an old, light-blue bottle top,
proudly displayed, in his beak

now it's luk,
when scorching,
hot winds cease

and binga
(Manna Gum)
is in bloom

th days
are equal to
th nights

th luk (eels)
fat, too plump
to wriggle out of
th eel-traps again

and, always,
th next season
to look forward to

days are
short, and th
nights are long

mist on th hills


th waring (wombats)
come out of their
burrows, bask
and graze
in th sunshine

bountiful shoots
will grow
tall, from so
much rainfall

there's even a waterfall

picture yourself eating
th hearts of
all those kombadik
(soft tree ferns) growing
inside the enclosure

th forest birds answer calls
from neighbouring
gardens,
share the perches
close to the netting, close
to th sky for songs, from afar