Return to the Tanglewood

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Returning to the Tanglewood Track -
taking the ankle for a test drive...

It is over 13 weeks
since I have walked
the Tanglewood track












I left at 7 am
thinking I might chance upon
a late rising whale

the sun caught the shrubs
and coastal trees
on the hillside

as I walked alone
along the ocean's shoulder

out to Hell's Gates
and looked the sun
in the eye

searching the ocean for the whales,
a friend I saw returning said
she had seen them close up
and heard them breathing

tomorrow I will try again,
maybe earlier

I am beginning to feel
like I belong
in the three little pig story...

I look over Hell's Gates
down below
toward Alexandra Bay











and return to Dolphin point
where a pair of Welcome Swallows
Hirundo neoxena
sit for me

the little 15cm birds
nest under overhanging ledges
in the bush
or under man made structures

Welcome Swallows
pursue flying insects
with rapid flight
and sweet twittering

I turn off the coastal track
drawn by the lure
of the Tanglewood
and an ankle
that claims to be almost
fully rehabilitated

I will give the ankle a test drive
over rougher terrain
and sneaky tree roots
the likes of which snared me
all those weeks ago

I take my time
stopping to listen to bird song
along the way

I notice the burnt off sections
of eucalyptus forest

and how terribly dry it is
It is only the smaller
rainforest gullies that retain
their green freshness

all the rest of the Tanglewood
craves for rain
In the last four months
I can only remember one rain
We need summer
with it's life giving sustenance



It can't be far away...







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