Rainforest Weeping

[Maureen K Clifford]

RAINFOREST WEEPING.

The ancient rainforest is weeping, her canopy is stripped - she lays bare,
as rivulets flow down her hillsides, it seems she has more tears to share.
The white Cockatoos all screech loudly, and fly overhead – a great throng;
as a lone Cassowary comes seeking for food, they continue their song.

They have seen their green treetops denuded, they’ve been tossed and thrown on the storm.
Feathered bodies now litter the forest. Cast aside, tiny bodies still warm.
The surf boils and roils on the white sand of the long stretch of tropical beach
though the shore line is littered with palm trees, and wreckage where waters can’t reach.

The mist covered mountains are watching the fields of destruction below.
They shyly reveal ‘neath their grey gauzy veils, their scars from the turbulent blow.
Tall palms once lush green, now are shattered. Trunks twisted in abject despair
and apart from the noise of the parrots – it’s the silence of which we’re aware.

Neath a moon riding high in the heavens, they have weathered a storm – at their cost
and now what was written in starlight, is revealed – and they weep at the loss.
Every line on each palm and liana, each embrace of the strangler fig,
shredded fronds from the beautiful fox tails and cycads show this storm was big.

The Torres Strait pigeons are flocking, creamy feathers bright in the sunlight.
But the fruits they are seeking are lacking, stolen by a thief overnight.
A helmeted head now emerges, vivid blue and with wattles bright red.
Six brown, white striped, little ones all tag along – Cassowaries still need to be fed.

A sucker and sow and a boar with white tusks break out from the rainforest tangle.
They’ll have a field day, on the small carcase feast –for some there’s always a good angle.
Nature will recover, her scars she will heal, it’s business as usual all round.
She’ll regrow, vegetate, start to recuperate - for resilience the Mothers renowned.

Maureen Clifford © 02/11

[Neville Briggs]

Very well done with " showing " Maureen.

The destructive force of the cyclone is horrific , still the Darling and Murray Rivers are benefitting from the flow of water and Lake Eyre is filling up with water and wildlife. For all our quest for knowledge, the processes of nature remain to us , very mysterious.

[Trisha Patterson]

Hi Maureen,
You never cease to amaze with your prolific assortment of "literary art".
You are one dedicated writer...more power to you!
Cheers
Trish

[warooa]

Yeah you're spot on Maureen . . the rainforest will bounce back but the Cassowaries will starve. They reckon a third of the population starved to death after Larry. I heard they were doing fruit drops by chopper - I suppose a hungry metabolism can't be a fussy one but I wonder if old half rotten fruit from Woollies is as satisfying as freshly fallen quandongs or Davidson Plum.

Cheers, Marty

ps or (headline) Cassowary survives fury of Yasi - but wasn't expecting falling melons.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Thanks all - I laughed at the melon comment - saw on the news where they are dropping the fruit in for the Cassowaries - but do think it was chopped up, but the Cassowaries must be wondering where the hell all the grapes and bananas etc are coming from - do hope it does save them...it will be a long time I would think before their natural food source is replenished, so hope the fruit drops are not pie in the sky so to speak as they will be needed for quite a while.

I liked your comment re literary art Trish and then Nev said I showed not told so I guess maybe it is - thank you both

Cheers

Maureen

[Heather]

Lovely imagery Maureen. You show the power of nature's destructive forces but also her resiliance.

Heather

[Maureen K Clifford]

Thank you Heather