A Night In Early August

The night cold and dark few cars pass up and down On the dimly lit streets of the old country town And a boobook owl calls out mopoke in the parkland nearby To small birds the one who has death in it's cry Out from their homes in tree holes and house ceilings on trees in the park The male brush tail possums can be heard calling after dark They snarl and bite and claw in a territorial fight To mate with the females the strongest male wins the right The wind to it has a cold wintry sting On the first week of August three weeks from the calendar Spring Yet at this time of year the nesting male magpies sing day and night And to defend their borders if needs be they fight A night in early August in the old town a high of four degrees With a cold and damp chill in the freshening breeze That blow in the town through the park from the bay Yet the calendar Spring just over thee weeks away.