LAUGH KOOKABURRA, LAUGH

[Maureen K Clifford]

LAUGH KOOKABURRA, LAUGH



Sunset. The end of day dies in a blaze of glory
setting fire to rain washed skies and billowing clouds.
Tingeing them in shades of mauve and red and orange
as they gather, clustered, moving fast like crowds.

Rumour has it that the sun was formed from a huge emu egg
that an angry Brolga seized and threw away.
The spirits though the brightness and the warmth it gave was good
and so we have the sun until this day.

When the spirits light the morning sun it gives off little heat,
but by the middle of the day the fire’s ablaze.
As the sunset approaches only red embers remain,
though some stay to start the morning fires display.

The spirits were impressed by this show of fiery brilliance
and thought they should announce it every dawn.
They asked Goo goor gaga if he would laugh loudly each morning
to tell everyone of fire. All people warn.

Children should never imitate old Goo goor gaga's laughter,
for fear he hears, and stops his morning cry;
and then no dawns would ever steal across our northern land
only coal black darkness would be in our sky.

The embrace of time means nothing – these old legends linger on,
one accepts on blind faith legends of our time.
Knowing the scientific answers holds no magic in my mind,
but stories of the dreamtime with me chime.

So this story is passed along to the next generation
who sit quietly with eyes raised to the sky.
They know when Kookaburra laughs – goo goor gaga, goo goor gaga,
they’ll see a red sun rising by and by.


Maureen Clifford © 02/11

http://www.australianhistory.org/dreamtime

[Neville Briggs]

Well done poem Maureen.

A. The sun comes up every morning.
B. The kookaburra laughs when the sun comes up,
therefore,
C. the kookaburras laughing must cause the sun to come up.

unfortunately a logical fallacy. The conclusion does not follow from the premises, there is no connection between effect and cause.

[Maureen K Clifford]

What came first Neville the chicken or the egg? Pffff - sticking out tongue and pulling a face

[Neville Briggs]

There were some kookaburras cackling outside my window the other morning..and guess what?..the sun came up.

Then to-day there were no kookaburras heard outside my window..
but the sun still came up...amazing.

The argument about the chicken and the egg is the argument of infinite regression which assumes that there is no first cause. If the theory of the " big bang " is correct then there must be a first cause, but how did it operate ? that is the question.
I wasn't there I can't tell you.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Oh Neville I am disappointed - you usually manage to come up with a logical explanation and in this case Google was not my friend. The big bang theory is something I have never grasped - it doesn't jell with me not in so far as creating living things goes anyway.

I know the Kookaburra story to some seems far fetched - but whilst the kookaburra may not be laughing outside your window - he will be laughing somewhere in Australia and because he does and is - that is why the sun comes up every day.
Seems perfectly logical to me

Cheers

Maureen

[Zondrae]

and we are adult educated people.

Can we find something positive to brighten our day.

Maureen, This is a delightful story. When I worked as a teachers aid with Murrie children at Tabulam school, we used to encourage them to make up dreamtime stories. Unfortunately, these kids were under the influence of some kind of "Hallelujah, hand clapping, Christians". They would give me a look and say things like, "you a Christian Ms King?" or even "You believe in that God Ms King". These kids were a beautiful bunch in spite of some of them being 10 years old and still unable to write their own name and address. I loved every minute of being with them and even when the grant ran out and I lost my job, I still went into school now and again to keep up my friendship with them.

You see some heartbreaking cases but some days you have a win and see a little light go on and one of them suddenly understands the relationship between letters and sounds. This is the start of reading which is the key to the world. I loved their own little stories, even if they were not the traditional version of the district.

Maureen, Again, I think your poem is delightful.

[Heather]

A delightful story Maureen and I love your descriptions. A few weeks ago I was waking at dawn each morning and the first thing I heard most days was the Kookaburra. Even if I hadn't opened my eyes I knew that dawn had arrived.

Zondrae that is a heart warming story about the school children. When my kids were little I used to help out at school with the reading and I loved it.

Heather

[Neville Briggs]

Then there's the bloke, Maureen, who had large amounts scotch and water, rum and water, wine with water, gin and water, brandy with water. He kept getting a hangover and decided he must give up adding water to his drinks it was obviously causing a problem.

[Zondrae]

G'day Heather,

Yep, and as I have not said it today .. 'there is a poem in that'.

[Maureen K Clifford]

Thanks all - I am laughing at your comments and guess what -the sun has come up

Thank you Zondrae - am currently working on setting up some Aboriginal legends as video clips including Eaqle and Crow, The Tiddalik frog and this one. I like the Aboriginal legends - always find them fascinating. Eagle and Crow seems to have a few different versions and the one I chose had a bit of violence in it but worked for what I wanted and explained IMO the behaviour of eagles and crows as well as pointing out the often nasty side of humans...was not sure if they might be suitable to post in the Children's poetry section here or not. My little nieces like hearing the stories - one of the reasons I am working on the video clip.

Cheers

Maureen