Jennifer
leaves the
gravel track
following
eagle-eyed
the fine-needled foliage
of Asparagus Fern
It's a plant with a knack
for spreading
via matted tuber roots
and bird seed droppings
popping up all over
to smother native
vegetation
a creek weed
in desperate need
of eradication
she hates it
with a vengeance
nevertheless
levering the
fern's crown
from the ground
has turned
somehow
into a
meditation
so for the
second time
that morning
she wanders off
Janet is tackling
Quaking Grass
nasty stuff
that seeds
from shells
in the slightest
breeze
but easy enough to
distinguish from the
burly Kangaroo grass
and matte grey Tussock
by its red-based tufts
and bright green
leaves
After early showers
there's no time
for earth to harden
Teasing out any
strangled plants
the dirt is
moist in her hands
She is Mary
in her secret garden
Back at the
Bracken Burn
the group's
churning conversation
filters down
the slope
The two Js
also chat
about things
that matter
the housing crisis
local hospital
growth
Jennifer
an ex teacher
and Janet
an ex nurse
disburse their
stories
like old friends
the creek is
good that way
Jennifer squats
by dirt-speckled wood
yanks a weed
dislodging bark
a snake leaps out
round black eyes
brown
they are
nose to nose
She's never seen
a snake here
before
years of hot
Australian summers
have not prepared
her for this encounter
Jennifer yelps
stumbles back
like a dog
with its tail
between its legs
No
not a snake
a frog
relief
floods
the creek
She laughs
joining Janet's disbelief
at nature's clever
camouflage
cobbles chatter
back together
but her heart is
pounding
The Pobblebonk
sits unblinking
beside its hole
no one but the
women would know
it was there at all