in our time
we think we know
most animals of the world
from films and videos
yet
seeing
an echidna come out of the underbrush
about to cross the road
but then
looking at all the cameras
deciding to quietly go back home for a while
watching
a young humpback whale
launch her tons out of the sea
in the sheer joy of breaching
falling back in a white splash
that sends your boat rocking
feeling
the hard back of a wombat
under its thick coat of hair
the soft fur of a koala
the cool skin of a blue-tongued lizard
feeding
a wallaby whose sharp claws
tenderly hold your hand
so that the food
does not go away too soon
hearing
the swelling maniacal laughter
of a flock of kookaburras
a pied butcherbird‘s
unbelievably melodious call
you become aware
they are living beings
not just images on the screen
and the little hairs
on the back of your neck
rise
in shock and awe
of life‘s beauty
Nov 8, 2017
Nov 8, 2017 at 2:01 AM UTC
in our time
we think we know
most animals of the world
from films and videos
yet
seeing
an echidna come out of the underbrush
about to cross the road
but then
looking at all the cameras
deciding to quietly go back home for a while
watching
a young humpback whale
launch her tons out of the sea
in the sheer joy of breaching
falling back in a white splash
that sends your boat rocking
feeling
the hard back of a wombat
under its thick coat of hair
the soft fur of a koala
the cool skin of a blue-tongued lizard
feeding
a wallaby whose sharp claws
tenderly hold your hand
so that the food
does not go away too soon
hearing
the swelling maniacal laughter
of a flock of kookaburras
a pied butcherbird‘s
unbelievably melodious call
you become aware
they are living beings
not just images on the screen
and the little hairs
on the back of your neck
rise
in shock and awe
of life‘s beauty
