Nature's Linguist

• Matilda Marozzi, Grade 12
• Poetry
• 2010

As people language is a creation we claim,
Through the adroit manipulation of tongue messages are conveyed,
But perhaps the foundations are deeper than it first seems:
Listen to the laugh of the kookaburra amidst the whispering gum trees.

A squawk of opprobrium, followed by a mournful tune,
Is the vernacular of a mother bird, whose chicks have left this world too soon,
The menacing growl of a dingo, with hackles up on end,
Is as good as any exclamation, “Hey you, this is MY LAND!”

The song of the whale, underneath the vast expanse of sea,
Can call to far off mammals, in a fashion so beautifully,
The ocean in itself roars in complaint of the tides and winds,
Before reverting to a state of calm: tide out, breath in.

Even within a chorus the Emperor penguin can identify its chick’s individual call,
So what audacity do we possess to claim we initiated it all?
Pioneers of language? I highly doubt it’s so!
We borrowed it from nature, adding a character of our own.