Black Cockatoos

They come again and again the three,
mother father and child.
First seen flying over old Boronia home,
now here in Glenwood Grove,
they fly past to lakeside gums where
we’ve seen them stripping bark
searching for acacia grubs,
foraging for stringy bark seeds.

Together, like our family
of night time dreamers,
these rare birds
ever squawking
calling from the air.

Three black crucifixes flying
with yellow splayed tails,
parents ever protecting
their young in need.

A feather am I … after Hildegard

Little bird
splashing in my water bowl,
tiny wrens
together at my door,
blue bird yellow bird
sky bird sun bird
singing
their Spirit songs.

No thoughts for the morrow
if feather should

fall.

A bird
a feather am I

breath-filled

momently
joyfully
gracefully
willed to be.

Junette Schoell was born and raised in the Barossa Valley. Following graduation from teachers’ college and university, she began her teaching career on Kangaroo Island, where she also started to write her poetry. Further teaching positions in Adelaide were followed by her move to Melbourne where over the years her family, and accreditation for and work in pastoral service and counselling, have been major factors in her life. ‘Circling’, an illustrated, memoir collection of Junette’s poetry, was published at the end of last year.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.