The Expert Poem by Francis Duggan

With the aid of binoculars he had a close up view
Of pied currawong and sulphur crested cockatoo
And as I walked nearby he turned to say
'Good morning it is such a lovely day'.

I stopped and said it would appear to me
That you like watching creatures living free
And he said yes and I have a Degree
In Natural Sciences and in ornithology.

He told me how the experts got it wrong
In their classification of pied currawong
That pied currawong in reality a crow
I disagreed and asked how come you know?

He said a finch don't look much like a shrike
And a crow and currawong look so alike
And though by similarities he had been misled
Who was I to even question what he'd said

And who was I to even disagree
As in Natural Cciences I don't have a Degree
Or been in school of ornithology
I only go by how things seem to me.

But in my heart I knew he'd got it wrong
That crow is not a kin of currawong
But was it worth an argument? no way
I said goodbye and he wished me a nice day.

In Natural Sciences he had his Degree
And I left him there to view the wild and free
The white backed magpie piped his melody
And the red browed finches chirped on wattle tree.