The Tui

(photo by Phil Linklater)

I wake to hear the Tui's tuneful lilt,
He serenades his lover, trills and shouts.
I strain to see the tuft beneath his throat,
His iridescent feathers gleam like silk.

Our garden comes alive with boisterous song.
He flits from tree to tree and calls his mate.
She answers with her own bell-like refrain,
Secure, that in his eyes, she does no wrong.

I listen to those birds with sinking heart.
The tree on which they sing will soon be felled.
A straggling pine that's simply grown too tall,
It's job is done - and now it must depart.

..............................................................


The garden makes a neat and tidy bower.
With native shrubs and trees to gaze upon.
One day perhaps, the Tui will return,
The kowhai tree shows signs of early flower.


Amanda Edwards (c) 2014