Bhama Daly
Behana, Behana, Behana
Roaring cascades scream
Over boulders, rocks, gnarled roots
Behana, Behana Behana.
Ambushed in Cadaghi combat green
Red fingers of umbrella flowers
Dazzle against the turquoise sky
Behana, Behana, Behana.
The land of ancestors
Sing
Of
Sun, rain and
Shifting sands of time.
Bhama Daly was born in Kuala Lumpur. New horizons beckoned and, in the 1970s, she pursued a career in nursing in London. She migrated to Cairns with her husband Simon in 1978. They have two sons. Bhama’s career has embraced not only nursing but also academic work at the University of Queensland and the James Cook University, Cairns. Her research and writing are informed by stories, myths and legends and the way in which they provide explanations for being in the world. Bhama’s interests include writing, reading, Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba and, a topic of endless procrastination, how not to write the best-selling novel. www.tropicalwriters.com.au