The first stands near the Girl Guides Hall,
and has heard much talk of knots.
Its long limbs wave and reach,
reach and wave, throwing scanty shade
onto waiting cars. It is its own
outdoor adventure, and parrots
chatter in groups, gossiping and gurgling.
The second tree is shyer, peeping over
the fence of an adjoining house,
at the very edge of a park. Weeds
grow against its trunk, as if to smother
the gracious box, but quiet as it is,
it soars above their imprecations.
A short flight for a rosella
— a sweaty trudge for a poet —
finds number three, which boasts hollows
yawning with potential. Frogs chorus
from a nearby wetland — do the birds
ever attempt a throaty imitation?
Mimicry on high may or may not
make up part of their daily flux,
these crimson-feathered pirates,
preening on grey-brown branches.
The trees sigh, slip leaves,
sent fragrant messages to beetles.
A triangle of beauty, suburban,
yet gnarly and complex,
shedding intricate strips of bark
onto the thirsty grass.
Three Eucalyptus melliodora trees are included in the ACT Tree Register for the suburb of O’Connor. This eucalypt is often called Yellow Box.
© PS Cottier, 2024
