I awake as the dawn breaks
to a kookaburra chorus.
Their vocally uplifting cry
Heralds the rising sun.
Loudly they proclaim
Their territory.
Uttering a laugh that echoes
Across my neighbourhood.
I lie in my bed listening to this
Aria, each morning,
As the sun is emerging
Their call rings out
Gladdening my heart
Making me realise
I live in a blessed country.
Just now I hear them
Singing their evensong
My day complete,
I rest
Now awaiting
Their morning cackle.
Morpethroad 
hahaha never heard one before but did grow up singing the song 🙂
Thanks, it happens most mornings here seemingly just outside my window. I love it.
An every day serenade…Lovely! 🙂
I’d say its more like an alarm clock than a serenade RoSy. Thanks for reading.
The unmistakable sound of a kookaburra!! brings back memories of my youth!! 🙂 🙂
I find it just the beautiful wake up sound…..Thanks Helen.
Love the thought of a kookaburra. Never heard one.. but it feels like nature give a greeting… lovely
Thanks Bjorn, did my video link work there’s two on that.
I have always associated kookaburras with Australia. Nice poem, Michael!
Thanks Gabriella, maybe when you come to Australia you hear some. They live in the trees around my place.
I love to hear them.
Lovely poem, gorgeous photo and wonderful clip – all in all what a terrific post Michael. The Kookas are significant to me. When we were doing the memorial service for my youngest brother, I was standing in a gazebo when I read about my brother (now thinking back my first Celebrant job I guess) I read a poem about him as I started reading, 2 kookas landed on top of the gazebo and as soon as I finished reading, they flew away. Every time I hear them now I say it’s Paul and have a little chat to their laughter – so thank you for doing this post and reminding me of him and that day.
Thank you Jenny, that is a lovely comment and I am so pleased you were able to connect with this poem. they are the sound I wake up to most mornings in the pre dawn light. thank you again, you are so kind.
you are welcome
Thanks ever so much for this great poem and the video…they look like such fun birds to have about. In the spring, here I wake to our blackbird’s courting call and they are really a marvel. I can appreciate your poem so much just remembering how they make me smile all throughout the season. We also have a duck that laughs in the summer that takes our German tourists by surprise. Birds are the most fantastic creatures. And yes it’s a great reminder that you live in blessed country.
Thank you so much Georgia, I do live in a lucky country. There’s a book about Australia called that. Yes the birds around here seem to sing constantly, thankfully the kooka’s only let fly at dawn and dusk.
Yeah, I can imagine if they let go all day long…one might go a bit batty 🙂
Aww sooo nice!I’m catching up since my return on my reading. This is such a beautiful photo and a lovely poem and so nice to have included the video. Thank you. You are so lucky!!
Yes I am and thank you Oliana.
Reblogged this on Traces of the Soul and commented:
This is truly lovely!!
Thank you Oliana. I am flattered you re blogged this one. A little bit of Australia that lives outside my door.
Nice you re-bloogeed this, a kookaburra….is it that little thing in the picture? Who named it, couldn´t they find something less difficult to remember. I just call them all bird. Big bird, small bird, fast bird, e.t.c. Same with the tyronauresoures (din´t spell that one correctly that´s for sure.
Its a kookaburra because it is a native bird to Australia and that is the name for it. We have lots of names for animals that are odd sounding, kangaroo, platypus, brolga (another bird)…the country is full of them. Thanks so much for reading.
It was my pleasure, I love reading good poetry. It´s kind of my “yoga”, but can´t seem to write it very well myself.
I will be flattered if you put me in that category.
This is the piece I posted this afternoon:
Please call again
I love their call, makes me smile. And a mighty fine poem to do them justice. I remember living in Texas and listening to the Mockingbird out my window every morning. He would serenade me with his repertoire of songs he copies from other birds. I love birds and wildlife and you seem to have some great ones!