THE SALMON STORIES, PART 4

Dogs of the Past

Red flowering gums flared crimson when
salmon flew in silver swathes along the coast.
With fires on the beach
and a sticktapping clever-man,
Mineng sang the dolphins in.
An old linguist who was really a Count
wrote all about this.
Twertwaning; ‘old past dogs’
were dolphins who worked with the people.
Dogs of the past drove the salmon
right up to the lacy waters’ edge
to be speared and gathered.
Dogs of the past gobbled a warm meal
of regurgitated pilchards for their efforts
like kelpies falling on chop bones.

- Sarah Toa