Six Trees

Tribal Recollections 1

The trees are standing in sand

and waving their arms. 

They love me. Their deep green leaves

are up on tiptoe

the better to see me. My little dog

follows behind me, stretching 

and hollowing his back.

His tummy is almost rubbing the ground,

he is so ecstatic. Over behind a boulder

a snake wriggles quietly,

keeping out of our way.

We try not to see him,

while staying on our side of the track.

My hair in the wind

streams out behind me.

I am gazing up

into the wind and into the trees,

up to their leafy tops

above decorated trunks

where rings of different colours

and strange patterns of bark

tell me their age and their health.

Eyes look out from the trunks,

where small creatures hide 

in clefts in the bark

and birds perch almost unseen,

camouflaged, except 

for one in the sky

hovering — ready to alight

or starting to rise and leave? 

I don't know, but I see 

the bird is watching me too
as I linger under the six tall trees.