One cow dog-alert, the other

easy in her bones, the foreground

a wash of summer yellow.
Brush-marks above the river:

ferns and rock orchids in the gullies,

wildflowers and gums below 
his cerulean sky. In harsh light

or soft, he reveals  his caged heart,

the chains, the bride, Nebuchadnezzar, 
the tortured lovers, from his war-dreams

and early bible, what we have become

or could. Our hearts chilled, 
we cross the river flats in silence.

Today, no boats on the Shoalhaven,

no wind, though the parrots are restless.


Notes:

In response to Cows and Pulpit Rock, Arthur Boyd, 1998,

Collagraph, 70x79cm, Bundanon Trust Riversdale, NSW.