Forest fey

A renga collab with the lovely Catia Castrucci¹

Bush babies bathe in
crystal clear creek with tadpoles;
burbling, splashing kin

Giggling whispered secrets
to humans coming to play.

Ferny dell hometowns;
moss and lichen—chair and stool.
Happy halls of stone!

Worship the chestnut-oak stand:
leaf and raceme, bark and root.

1. Catia Castrucci contributed the second stanza and much imagination inspiration during various bushwalks, notably in Tasmania. Audio recording by Catia Castrucci 2024. Cover fern photo by Catherin J Pascal Dunk 2024, taken at Kundibakh NSW. Photo of happy halls of stone by Catherin J Pascal Dunk 2024, also at Kundibakh. Photo of chestnut oak by Catherin J Pascal Dunk 2024, taken at Narara Ecovillage NSW. ↩︎