MANGROVES

[Maureen K Clifford]

MANGROVES

There's a trickle, just a trickle of water moving in
and it hurries and it scurries as it comes.
A leaf floats like a boat , driven where the water goes
and small hermit crabs up slimy mud banks run.
As the water creeps still higher and now its moving fast
while the mangroves snap and chatter driven by a fearsome blast
of wind out of the west. Above storm clouds black and vast
swirl and cluster up above the coastal bay.


There's a muffled roll of thunder reverberating in the hills
and lightning trickles down into the sea.
Low clouds are moving quickly like grey brumbies in full flight,
white seagulls drift like kites so gracefully.
Now the tide is coming in fast, with its waves lapping the shore
and the sibilant hiss and swish of sucking water's at my door,
strong wind is blowing golden grains of sand onto the floor.
Seems a storm is heading inwards from the bay .


Diving down to disturbed waters, like a driven deadly dart
is a flash of chestnut plumage tipped with white.
It rises from grey waters, with a fish in talons sharp
a mighty scavenger, the Brahminy Kite.
He returns every year to nest, I hear his high pitched call
a mewing 'keeyew, keeyew' never ceases to enthrall.
And his home is in the mangroves, where he peruses all
the ebb and flow of life out in the bay.


There's a pair of Yellow Spoonbills strolling along the shore
past the Croc that lies complacently it seems.
But he can move so quickly should he have a snack attack
and that will surely shatter Spoonbill dreams.
The Mangroves are a nursery for fish and crabs and snake
and little Crocs are fully armed with teeth should you mistake
their watery home for swimming pool . She won't be alright Jake
You'll become another food source in the bay.


A flash of brilliant blue floats past and it catches my eye
I have to follow it and take a look.
It lands upon a nearby twig...Ulysses Butterfly
wings opening and closing just like a prayerbook.
Then I feel a splash upon my hand another on my cheek,
a puff of dust I notice on the ground down by the creek,
and the splash becomes a shower and we might have rain all week
for it's fairly pelting down now at the bay.


So the next time you see Mangroves,go and take a closer look
for the Mangroves are the nurseries of our seas.
They save land from erosion along their seaward sides
and even reduce the force of Tsunamis
Mangroves are not boring there's so much going on.
You might want to take the Aeroguard to halt the buzzing throng
of mosquitoes that no doubt with you will want to tag along
as you take the time to idle time away. Checking out the Mangroves in your bay.



Maureen Clifford ©

[Leonie]

Lovely Maureen, you have captured the mangroves exactly. They teem with life don't they? Even more so than a river bank, although that is pretty lively too. I do miss the Brahminy Kites, from 'that other place'.

[Neville Briggs]

Very good Maureen. Lots of particular images

In a couple of lines, I had an attack of the Glenny hives over the word order.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Thank you Leonie and Neville. Are you sure they aren't mozzie bites Neville

[Heather]

I also enjoyed the images Maureen.

Heather

[Bob Pacey]

Well written Maureen but i think you might have been in a hurry and slipped this just to rhyme ?

She won't be alright Jake ?


Bob

[Maureen K Clifford]

No I wasn't, no I didn't but if you can come up with something I am open to suggestion - polite only of course but glad you approved otherwise Bob

Thank you Heather glad you shared the picture

Cheers

Maureen

[Darren]

Enjoyed the images and it stirred memories from my teenage years.

I have an aunt and uncle that lived in Townsville (in the 70s) and we use to go and camp on some of the creeks north of the city. I doubt you would do it now with the massive increase in the croc population. The mangroves were everywhere along the banks and we use to set the "dilly" pots and catch mud crabs. I still remember the sand flies by day and the mossies by night. They seemed to have a great liking for "southern blood." The activity you saw in the water, the flying foxes in the trees, the big fish coming in with the tide. An extremely complex ecosystem and one that is not valued as much as it should be. So many things breed in amongst the roots of the mangroves.

Thank you Maureen.

[Bob Pacey]

Just looks like a last minute add in Maureen ????

Might have to think on that but it is your poem and so I'll just bugger off.


Footy is on in a minute.


See Ya.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Great you also have a connection with mangroves Darren. Agree about the Townsville mangroves and ditto on Cairns, I am quite familiar with both of those. Actually came across a croc slide on the beach at Yorkeys Knob years ago when I was holidaying at the Beach bures there - I never walked on that beach alone again. It was at the end where the mangroves were as well and from the size of the markings it was a fair sized croc probably a 5 footer. I high tailed it out of there as soon as I spotted it let me tell you.

This was sparked by memories of when I lived at Deception Bay and the mangroves just down the road had a board -walk pathway connecting two areas. I used to walk Khadizia down there and was always fascinated by the diversity of life that was contained within the mangroves. Saddest sights were a dead pelican all entangled with fishing line and a live seagull with only one foot, probably lost the same way.