Selectively Juggling

Glossy black feathers-shone bright,
Powerfully strong, beautiful in mid-flight.
Tail feathers with a deep red hue,
A proud red-tailed Black cockatoo.

Coorah Cockatoo counted her edible treasures,
A strong bird, with ruby and ebony feathers,
She’d foraged all day for pinecones, and acacia seeds,
Home sweet home was high above the native reeds.

From the dried-out hollows of her Buloke Tree,
There was growing sadness of what she could see.
For generations, her ancestors called these lands home,
They protected the earth, the lands she now roams.

Where once the mighty rivers did flow,
Nothing but stagnant waters grow.
The river, once a source of life.
Was in deep trouble, deep strife.

Coorah, had heard her families stories,
Of the land and river in all its glory.
About caring for the land and biodiversity,
About maintaining a connection to country

Coorah’s friends also felt the pain,
Of a changing climate, and little rain.
Fergus had to find a new watercourse,
Kenny and Gertie sought a new food source.

Coorah’s family were very upset,
The images of the past were hard to forget.
The river should be full of life and purpose,
But it was running dry and almost worthless.

It stood as a sign of ‘mankind’s lack of care,
For the lands and waterways, they all share.
Coorah hoped that things would get better,
And that the river and lands would soon get wetter.

Coorah took to flight again,
Hoping for decent rain.
And that mankind would better understand,
That they needed to manage and protect the land.

And to those who heard her screech through the air,
It was her desperate plea to “please take care’.
Take care of the river systems,
Learning from past, ancient wisdom