Following on from Friday’s post about Glen Phillips, I wanted to share a poem which was included in ‘Landscapes’ the journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language at ECU.
Moondyne Joe, the central character in the re-enactment.
The poem was written after we attended the Moondyne Festival, a re-enactment of the Moondyne Joe legend held every year in Toodyay.
It’s an historic town in WA which had recently been devastated by bush-fires – far too often a feature of our landscape.
I was struck by the horrendous beauty as we drove through the area, illustrated by the aftermath of death and the brilliant resilience of nature.
Toodyay
black ash still lay
where fire had licked
with devil tongues
across roadside gravel
a careless cigarette
city-slicker thrown
community fun day
re-enacting Moondyne Joe
quick fire prowled up
summer-dry gullies
stand of trees ridge
wind break – not fire-breaker
no escape allowed
as bright yellow jackets
smother white foam
contain the bush fire danger
gum tree pale striped
old bark peeled back
green growth beauty
black trees juxtaposed
fresh life canopies
halt dieback* spores
spiked hair sprouts
thousand years and counting
*Dieback is a fungal disease which decimates our native trees, reducing them to bare branches.
Frances Macaulay Forde © 2011
Just another example of Glen supporting and encouraging my involvement in the WA writing community.
Perth Words... exploring possibilities. 