Sun shining down from a pale blue autumn sky,
white wisps of cloud move slowly in the breeze,
grass dry and bleached by drought and summer heat.
The tree-lined creek is nearly dry,
green puddles punctuate its muddy bed,
no rain in sight, they’ll soon be gone.
Small birds are hard to find,
a rufous whistler, three grey fans, a wren,
brown thornbill busy in the leaves.
Then through the trees above the paddock,
a harrier with upswept wings sails low
and then is gone, too soon to name.
A common brown the only butterfly to see,
no dragonflies or damsels catch the eye,
their season’s drawing to a close.
Wait, movement on a trunk across the creek,
a common shutwing perches for a time,
the dragonfly of autumn has emerged.
The big zoom lens is meant for birds,
but hold it steady, focus, shoot,
the shutwing flies, its image though remains.
Duncan Fraser, Australia
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