Kooka's Laugh

The Kooka’s Laugh

copyright 1999 written by grant cunningham illustrations by may southgate design by kerry penrose

Far up the Good River Kalang Where the Sun always sang, A Dingo, a Kookaburra and a Pelican Lived a life where no man can.

The Dingo drank soup with a knife, The kooka laughed aloud at strife, The Pelican swam, he didn’t fly, And together they watched the Good River float by.

Kooka lost his Laugh there scaring the Koala Bear, Which was his idea of a good lark But the Laugh took off, the little nark.

Kooka tried hard to catch it But couldn’t near match it ‘Cause the Laugh dropped to ground And began running around.

D ingo said, ”I might just catch it for a small fee...” Kooka, what will you give to me?” “Three legless lizards, a green tree frog, And my colour TV, that’s all I’ve got, you dog!

The Dingo, eyes lit up, was off with a bound From tree to tree to run the Laugh to ground, But the Laugh was fast, too fast you see, It ran the Dingo ragged and into a bloodwood tree!

“I can catch it, I can,” said the Pelican “Do it! Do it! Don’t sit there like a man! Catch the Laugh! Catch it now!” the Kooka said, “And I’ll fill your beak with oysters and bread!”

“Bread!” said the Pelican right out loud, And off he swam without a sound. The Laugh leapt from tree to tree, Did three backflips and headed for sea.

Pelican followed his beak held wide, He swallowed all the fish! He tried to swallow the tide! But his inside became bigger than it ought, Bigger than his outside and POP, he turned inside out!

The Kooka was alone and forlorn He opened his beak but the Laugh was gone. He flew up high only to see His best Laugh swimming out to sea.

My Cockatoo found that Laugh in his tree, and when Cocky came home, he gave it to me. From Cocky to me and now to you, Just go ”Oooh oooh oooh eeh eeh eeh ah ah ah ah ah!” any time you want to!

It was sad for the Dingo to hit the tree And for the Pelican to swallow the sea, But you can reach out as a matter of choice And go “ Oooh oooh oooh

h e e

ah ah

h e e e h e e

ah

” ! ah

h a ah in good voice.

The Kooka’s Laugh By Grant P. Cunningham Illustration by May Southgate Layout design by Kerry Penroose