David J. Delaney

WAKING

Stirring in my swag,
aroused to morning sounds.

Water trickling,
lorikeets screech, chatter,
bush turkeys scratch, grunt,
early trill of cicadas.

Smell.

Freshness of eucalypt gums,
wild flowers,
smokey embers.

Eyes opening.

Kaleidoscopes
of sunlight shards
pierce diminishing mist,
a small cloud of pale blue smoke
hovers above smouldering campfire,
water trickles over rocks,
lorikeets search for nectar,
turkeys eat breakfast grubs,
cicadas frozen to trunks,
kangaroo’s drink.

Hypnotised by nature,
Still I lie, not wanting to move,

How long will I stay?

How long?

©Copyright May 21, 2005 by David J. Delaney

This poem was the 1st Place Winning Entry in the 2010 Reef Writers/Port Douglas Gazette Short Story and Poetry Competition