Signs

The sign of something else

something lost, not quite recovered

a meandering creek, sneaking down the escarpment

following the fractures of the landscape on its way

to the lowlands and the sea

A transitory migrant route

traversed on their way North

chronicled on the rock overhangs,

layers over layers

a praying mantis

a hunter and its prey

a kangaroo, a turtle

a woman and its dillybags

a fish trap, a goanna

a freshwater crocodile

Ancient moments of ochres

creating shapes and colours

hand silhouettes forever on the walls

lines, criss-crosses and dots

magic beings

They live there,  on those walls

Through time, we see them.

Kakadu NP.  July 2024

I acknowledge the traditional owners of the Kakadu national park lands, the Bininj and the Mungguy and its leaders past and present. Sovereignty has never been ceded. Like millions of Australians I accept the Uluru Statement of the Heart and support the Voice.