Bush Medicine

Long before gun control

and the miracles of the modern cell phone

we trekked to Edith Falls to hear the cicadas sing.

What we were searching for was beyond Wagnerian sublimity,

the supposed discovery of alien life-forms

depicted in ancient rock art,

lizard-like beings gesturing toward a celestial body in outer space,

no doubt evidence of extraterrestrial visits

with the promise that the visitors would one day return.

What we found at the upper pool

where the water spilled over the rugged escarpment

were tall Scandinavians skinny-dipping

without shame,

seeking the mystical healing power of goanna oil

and pondering the dream songs of the cicadas.

The dancing around the fire that night was good bush medicine,

meant to send a message beyond the stars,

stirred as we were, like a double drummer from a deep sleep.

Dan Guenther