There Are Poets Among Us

Australia Diary collects reader tales revealing Australia’s unique character. Share yours with us and check out our previous installments.

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Cowes

A Fibonacci for Summer

By Christina Aitken

At
dusk
she flips
on the sand
the sun slips past her
shadowed arms welcoming the dark

Melbourne

Healesville

By Kelly Hill

You and I
stroll hand in hand
along a much-trampled path
crushed rocks shifting beneath our feet
while all around us
eucalyptus sway and dance
their fragrance moves through the air

masses of banksia
a feast for the eyes
i watch the bees flit
from each bronzed brush
and the leukodendron
unfolding like stars
beside delicate clematis blooms

we stop at a bridge
listen
as water skitters over a jagged creek bed
a gentle melody
holds me close
as a kookaburra’s voice
quakes in the distance

glacial wind
grows in strength
as we huddle together
you
like always
keeping me from veering off the path
captivated
by birds of every colour
singing tributes to the trees.

Launceston

Tasmanian Moon

By Don Defenderfer

There is the first full moon of autumn
Rising through the gums
Slanting up the river valley
Spreading silver on the river’s whirls.
The moon humbles my candle
And seduces an owl to call.
The moonlit gums become full of silky boughs and velvet shadows
And every leaf stands individual and clear,
Every boulder gains a distinct shadow and
The river glows like mercury
As it sluices through the buttongrass sedge.
The Earth tilts and time passes;
There is no going back to summer.
This is the time to reflect and make amends.
This is the first full moon of autumn,
Rising above the eucalyptus trees,
Slanting up the river valley,
Spreading light
Knowingly.

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We want your stories too and we’re especially eager for video — maybe it’s you telling a story to camera, or something you captured unexpectedly. Share your story with us. Bookmark the Australia Diary collection where you can see our past and future installments.