Flâneuse from aus

The air is never quiet there,

and the whisper rush of distant cars

Cement for soft dirt under leather boots,

for the sweet eyes of brown cows,

they stiffen and low at my footsteps

Choirs of frogs and magpies sing,

over planes that rumble the belly of the sky

…

The air is so full,

its touch turns my bare hands blue,

Wind weaves scents of smoke and mud,

through the drooping leaves of gumtrees,

I don’t feel that wind here

A pair of gnarled grandparents stand out back,

nestled in the stinging breeze,

serenaded by a flock of cockatoos that careen across sunset,

like me they always return

…

Silver light bathes the lovely paddocks and hollows

Clouds bleed,

covering the blush of a weak winter sun

Warped shapes of rusted feeders,

peering over persistent weeds,

a lonely gum,

dead grass choked by hay string

Cat eyes blink and twinkle,

from paved roads that edge closer every day

…

Paddocks are oceans of grassy waves,

let me sail the barley crop forever

When a loader runs across them,

tangs of churned dirt and grass juice burn the wind,

clank bang footsteps

it blares light and shudders,

I can’t move

watching the machine split through dusk

…

Still the lone gum stands,

bone white jutting through dirt skin,

the air is so cold and loud and full,

how can I ever forget?

yellow wings flash,

My gumtree has not fallen yet.