Phoenix of the Forest

Phoenix-like, your birth
begins in flame,
shaped by the earth
from which you burst.

Tall soldiers and glossy foliage
of the river-lands,
smooth trunks painted
Designer pastels.

Hardy, tortured, species
clothe inland ranges,
as black-barked bloodwoods
struggle dustily skyward.

Dollar leaves of blue gums
rustle over plains,
wafting eucalyptus westward,
summer shelter for emus.

Your oil colours our air -
misty, smoky, blue,
gathers on distant hills,
captured in hidden gullies.

Savage flames prune detritus,
reviving youth,
luminous growth celebrates
successful rebirth.