A poem by Emily Leider

Thumper thumps

says something fresh to a dingo

jumps into skunk-cabbage patches

picks through spinifex scrub.

Under the shade of the coulibah tree

pursued by koalas

Kanga bolts between billabongs

negotiates mangrove-dense swamps.

In the marsupial ease of evening

cozy as cocoa, Baby Roo peers

from his La-Z-Boy pouch

heart’s iamb pounding

I-am, Mom, I-am.

Emily Leider has published one poetry collection and four biographies. She lives in San Francisco.