181 . The Welcome

DID you know, little child,

Ere you left the outer wild,

There were strong hands steady,

There were old songs ready,

There was love prepared to keep you with the hard earth reconciled?

Did you learn beyond the moon

All the happy sounds of noon?

A creek’s voice will greet you,

A wattle bend to meet you,

There are visions, there are voices: you will know them soon and soon.

Yes, for you will surely go

Where the deepest gullies grow,

They will feel you and take you,

With birds to lure and wake you,

They will set your spirit dancing, they will tell you all they know.

There beneath the radiant dome

Unafraid your feet will roam,

With the soft creek lapping,

And the loose bark flapping,

While the waving tree-ferns whisper, ‘Little girl, you’ve wandered home.’