1.
Shadows of branches move over us
On the doorstep, her blue socks
sun quivers
I am here to ask
What is it like living under this monstrous tree?
Well, she says
but then a toddler slams into her from behind
She staggers and the child’s face presses into her leg
refusing to see anything else
I mean, do you feel safe?
2.
In calm sun
the canopy is a field aloft
It crawls with worship,
with bees, their humming
In high winds
cockatoos ride the boughs
They lurch with the swell
They give up and fly
Leaves and twigs fall constantly
tapping on the roof below
This will be one of the sounds of home
remembered later, elsewhere
3.
The trunk draws me close
so I can only see the trunk
and I miss a step off the kerb
trunk-drunk
Truly, I slur, you are
a whale in the shallow estuary
of our suburb, sir
How about we get out of here?
We could ride to the open sky
spraying up white cockies
with our massive breaths
Have some respect
a small voice tells me
a dazed bee in the gravel
fallen from heights
That’s right: press your face and your hands
against the white bark
and be quiet for once
© Merri Andrew, 2026
