The lorikeets gather behind the house
A chattering flock that strips the seeds
from the trees
I cannot feed them
Crumbs from my table would be ignored;
they know what's best for themselves

Their flashes of green and blue
yellow and red remind me
that I'm far from home
The birds of Ireland
do not come in primary colours
though they welcome my bread

The girl I met on the beach
told me the lorikeets
are a symbol of hope
Like Noah's rainbow
said "Your journey has ended;
you need no longer be afraid."

She came here from South Africa
but could pass for a local
I am still new to this place
The lorikeets still stop me
in my tracks with their beauty
They aren't meant to live here;
they were introduced

When they flew over us
we both turned our faces
to the Australian sun
Both quietly respecting
any creature that survives and thrives
in a foreign land