Fantastical Mapping (in the Crinigan Bushland Reserve)

by DIJANNE CEVAAL

Walking along a path
through recuperated bushland

Small birds sass and chirp,
dancing in the shrubby undergrowth

Dew drops glitter up high in the native cherry,
nature’s tinsel

Fungi emerge from the underworld,
briefly dazzling in their skirts

They hint of an inverse universe
reflecting the lace canopy above

On misty mornings,
a sense of otherworldliness embraces

Sounds dampen and hover,
lower to the ground

Gum leaves lay scattered
colour and shape underfoot

Amber gum drops slide
from the wound on my favourite tree