Winter Koala

The poem:

 

Twilight and the bears are silent at

this time of year.  On warmer nights

In rutting season you may hear a grumble or

growl or roar

as they lumber from limb to limb

looking down disdainful noses

should they be disturbed.  Now

cicadas vibrate the night, a bird stirs in

the branches shaking out feathers but

no bears.

I wrote this one winter's day as I walked the creek banks searching in vain for koala signs. Skulls and paw prints of cuddly Phascolarctos cinereus team with painted and collaged gum leaves to build this koala story. The dominant eye-shape was a drawing in my sketch book of some fallen timber in the creek area. The "pupil" smudge reminded me of a koala nose, so it became a part of the whole.

materials:

 acrylic, collage on 6mm ply with timber edge

No frame, ready to hang

finished size: 

 900 mm h x 600 mm w

price:

AUD 1100