My Bendigo
by Josie Blyth, Victory Christian College
Finalist, Years 7 – 8, written poetry
Bendigo is a place, a town, a home
A different experience, to each their own.
Where the kookaburra calls, the night owl sings
Where the rooster crows, the morning it brings.
The platypus swims while the kangaroo hops
The galahs they fly quickly up to the treetops.
All around me, plants thrive and grow
If they ever do stop, I guess I won’t know.
In the middle of town, a fountain stands tall
Cascading down, looming over us all.
Its delicate design, so nicely done
If there was a prize, we would have won.
And there at the bottom, a big wishing pool
Silver coins we drop on our way to school.
Dreams and hopes are all planted here
Some achieved in a week, a month, or a year.
There’s history built between brick and rock
A new story told on each street and each block.
A building of silver and stone of sand
A place of memorial, marking the land.
Blood-red poppies adorn the wall
Telling the stories of our soldiers’ fall.
A bronze and brass plaque for all to see
These names are remembered, ‘neath shade of the tree.
The suburbs sprawl out on the edges of town
Where houses, homes, and getaways are found.
But the place I call home, is a small hobby farm
There’s a horse, some chickens, ducks don’t do any harm.
Where cream bricks reside, and trees line the path
Our family inside, warmed by fire and hearth.
Children and parents, despite fights get along
An abode of music, stories and songs.
Under the trees there’s a sanctuary of books
And if you’re not busy then please stop and look.
There’s vaults of volumes, printings and pictures
Drawings on walls in frames and in fixtures.
Fiction’s my true home, but I get lost in time
In the stories of heroes and verses that rhyme.
Fables of conquests and character’s woes
These books are my family, my friends and my foes.
Want to read more poems? Explore the other Years 7 – 8 finalists.