Let’s gather here a while

Under the sprawling gum

Its spidery limbs 

Casting indifferent shadows in the springtime sun

Let’s gather here a while

And watch the dragonflies 

Darting 

Invisible wings coursing such random paths through

This eternal theatre of sky

Let’s gather here a while

And rest our noses close to the warm earth

Breathing in the sun-kissed grasses

The heady promise of summer unfurling

Let’s gather here a while

And listen to the chorus of magpies

Larking

And blackbirds and currawongs 

Offering innocent melody in the distance sweet

Let’s gather here a while

And sip some tea

Not too hot, but with some body

To warm the soul and spark some

Lazy conversation

Let’s gather here a while

Let’s drink it in, taste and savour

Let’s notice and mark and cherish

Let’s gather

'Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.'

Under the Gum is my own reimagining of this ancient description of peace, spoken by Micah over 2,500 years ago.