East Of Wonthaggi On A Night In May Poem by Francis Duggan

A quarter moon shines in the starlit sky
And a dog is barking in the yard nearby
In answer to the fox's wild shrill cry
And moths and insects around the street lamps fly.

In fresh rain pools the shy frogs croak and call
They mate and breed through early Winter from late Fall
They seem to like the dim lit world and the peace and quiet
And you always hear them singing in the night.

A pleasant night with the faintest hint of breeze
And the boobook owl calls on the fence line trees
A bird you seldom see in the light of day
Near dawn in tree cavity or stump he hide away.

Scenes such as this inspire the bards to song
The bats that fly to and fro all the night long
And possums in a territorial fight
Their hisses and grunts invade the peace and quiet.

For late Autumn the weather fine though cool
And frogs are croaking in and near the pool
And boobook calls on trees across the way
East of Wonthaggi on a night in May.