Published in New Verses from New Voices, the second collection of poems of the ‘New Voices’ poetry group, Wellington Square Press, Sydney, 2016, pp. 28-29.
Paused on the track, the sudden quiet
Seems to coax a mob of Big Greys
To stromp through the wet scrub, buoyantly
Springing, pogo stick jumps. One dampened
Male studies the stalled carriages.
A licked sheen of grey-fawn ochre
Stands strong. Stares with eyes like two caramel
Beads threaded tight to the sharp face.
Watching, curious, supremely confident,
He twitches nostrils, chewing a leaf,
Brightly surveying the sway of grass,
Listening to tree rustles, perfectly hearing
The slightest noise, full of health and
Quiet breathing, gleaning the scene with
Quizzical brain, as if wondering
Awake is all this is a dream.
The scene comes together through windows.
The kangaroo troop turn to trump through
The pungent bush. Suddenly the train
Trundles to life and steams. You can
Smell the scene. We move. They stop and
Watch again, contemplating the graceful
Shift of the show, and bid good-bye,
Slightly stooping, an awkward bow.
