April 6, 2023
Cockatoo
The solitary sulphur-crested cockatoo
on a bough is open to engagement
with the solitary human walking
on the track below. It glides
from tree to tree to continue
a conversation started by the walker,
a cross-species interaction in the wild
between an intelligent bird squawking
and a person talking, making a connection,
until broken off by the human
when the weirdness starts to weigh.
​
____
© the author
by Rohan Buettel
Rohan Buettel lives in Canberra, Australia. His haiku have appeared in various Australian and international journals (including Frogpond, Cattails and The Heron’s Nest). His longer poetry recently appears in The Goodlife Review, Rappahannock Review, Penumbra Literary and Art Journal, Mortal Magazine, Passengers Journal, Reed Magazine, Meniscus and Quadrant.