by Douglas Lanzo
Copyright 2021
First published in the Spring 2021 Issue of WestWard Quarterly
The kookaburra listens
and the kookaburra calls,
with rapid bursts of laughter,
in throated voice, that enthralls;
Perched on eucalyptus,
high up its canopy,
the kookaburra scans
for lizards in the tree;
Swooping down with intention,
snatching gecko in mid-air,
catching the wide-eyed creature
absorbed with ants, unaware –
oblivious of danger,
sensing not kingfisher’s role,
to dash poor souls to pieces,
softening skin to swallow whole;
So…
Be fooled not by sheer laughter,
nor distracted by its call,
should you, a forest creature
be of stature that is small.