What is the theme in Drought Year by Judith Wright?

This poem is not so much about drought as about death. However, Wright reminds us that a hot, dry landscape of death, while deadly to some, means life to others, specifically, the wagtail. In "Drought Year," the wagtail is the lone beneficiary of others' dying. The name, "wagtail," would indeed have a cheery effect if it were not for the bird pecking out the eyes of the "seething skull." The horrific image might cause one to ask why Wright put the wagtail in the poem. Was it to show the double-edged nature of drought and death, that some animals benefit while others die? Whether or not this was the case, Wright's depiction of the wagtail might cause the reader to imagine Death, itself, as a wagtail, with horse, eel, and skull as its victims.