Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Arise, my love,

my fair one, and come away.

The wattle has dressed in yellow merriment,

the sundew proffers its delicate whiteness;

and the leopard orchid, tiny, but persistent,

emerges to glorify its maker.

Arise, my love,

my fair one, and come away.

Ride upon the song of the wattle bird

as it rejoices in the sun’s gleaming victory

over morning’s fog,

and in the promise of warmth.

Arise my love,

my fair one, and come away.

Unshackle earth’s anchors

to sing, to dance, to delight, to play;

to lose yourself in the great mystery.

Join with birds and kings,

old women, children, and all whose hearts

have been warmed from above;

join in the defiant trek to freedom,

the soaring flight of beauty,

love’s aching splendour,

and the unexpectedness of joy.

Arise, my love,

Arise, my love,

Arise, my love,

my fair one, and come away.

© Ken Rookes