Billabong
by Noor Kaela, Southern Cross Grammar
Years 7 – 8 Written Poetry Finalist
Where the billabong sleeps,
The growling grass frog sings.
The tall reeds guard the quiet shore,
From the cat that stalks outdoors.
But it watches closely, silent and still,
And when it catches a move, it lunges at the prey.
The bulrush drifts, to flourish and sway,
The little tadpoles, that hurry away.
It drives the cat, a little way,
Though a mother frog remains its prey.
The coot quacks, far away,
Warning the ones that look the wrong way.
The graceful crane bursts into the air,
It flaps its wings without a care.
Its powerful wings catch golden light,
Like an angel taking flight.
There, it perches along a path,
To watch and listen to the billabong’s law.
The cat looks from far away,
It settles by a rock, to feast upon its prey.
The swamphen beasts, with their mighty claws,
Fight through the reeds, and find their calm.
The sun shines, on the Earth below,
Witness to all that comes and goes.
How did writing this poem make you feel?
This poem made my creativity spark, and for me to really go into depth and understand the natural world that many of us don’t supply much time towards. It shows me how a simple billabongs ecosystems can actually be so complex but compelling in the way life and death occurs, but so does the thriving of the natural beings that exist in the area. It made me curious, how does nature support itself, and those that exist in it, if death is so easily recurring? This seems like a dark question—I know, but it’s an interesting idea after viewing this. If I hadn’t mentioned already, this poem is based off what I’ve seen yesterday, and over the following months since I’ve lived in my new house. A cat that stands outside every morning, staring at the creek, whether raining, sunny, cold, it is always there. A crane, its mighty wings and careful steps, always stands on a rock near the billabong, everyday it takes off to rest on the bridge, so cute when it’s fluffy, and staring at those who pass. I was walking, when the incident occurred. And this poem allowed me to truly understand what’s happening around me, the science, the natural beauty and chaos. It showed me a a different perspective of the world which I was partially blinded to. I thought, why was I blinded to these moments? The complexity yet beauty of nature, and an answer came to my head. We either spend too much time inside our homes or workspaces, whether that is productive or not, we overthink too much of ourselves or other people, to where we are blinded on seeing the nature around us, even if we are walking, running, biking and most significantly, I think social media. Where we all view something absolutely gorgeous, like a waterfall, an adorable baby deer, and when we look what’s out our window, we didn’t see anything but those common ducks, reeds, grass and trees. So we continue to look at the large aspects, and think, ‘it ridiculous how they can see that and I see this’ but I reckon, if we all cut down on that, we would view all the little things that strike us, like the sound of the water rushing across the rocks, a tiny waterfall that you might have never noticed in your creek, a mother duck and her ducklings, moss sprouting on rocks and algae swishing in the water. As I say it, I’m sure you can imagine it, and think, ‘wow, that’s beautiful.’ It’s funny, how many wouldn’t say that, even though the same thing stands write outside their window. Though, I would like to add, that those who live in the city, it can be difficult, but if you make an effort, anything can be possible. Thank you for taking your time to read this gigantic paragraph and my dragging thoughts, but I think, that this might have sparked a thought inside you too. 🙂
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
My favourite single line is most certainly: ‘Its powerful wings catch golden light’.
Describe your poem in three words
Wild, observant, untamed.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
Honestly, I kind of sit everywhere? Right when I get an idea, I’ll either quickly grab my pen and book, share the idea with everyone around me, or head to google docs to start brainstorming on my iPad. But…I usually prefer to sit in my sunroom, near my parrot and dog.
What skills do you think you strengthened through writing this poem?
Skills I enhanced through writing this poem is understanding how a simplistic idea can be much more powerful in meaning, visualising and evoking emotions. It also strengthened on where I can use rhyming to actually make sense and convey an idea, rather than just to rhyme but not considering if it makes sense or not.
Why do you think people write poetry?
I suggest people write poetry because its is a form of literature where they can express themselves, philosophies, warnings, or even just insights on typical things in the world. They may write poetry to allow other to view such a thing in a similar manner or way that the writer does. They may write poetry to evoke emotions, creativity or thoughts, in another who reads it, whether negative or positive.