Listen Up

by Nicholas Perkins

The urge of stones that 
stir this stream to rise and ripple 
means moon-time.

Those flowers bloom 
and bend to welcome 
fish now biting. 

Cicadas sing that sun is hot
and fruit is fat,
but try find them
They’ll find you,
with their pissing-down,
in the dry times.

It’s that fox 
that sees you now.
Lock eyes and feel 
what he recognises.

Not so different, you two,
frantic 
in your fevered test 
of friend or foe,
dumb
     to the deep talk
                     down.

Nicholas Perkins lives in Sydney. He works in education and has been a primary school principal, with a background that also crosses the arts, neuroscience and behavioural ecology. Poetry and music are Nick’s preferred media for personal meaning-making.