Competition

Highly Commended

Secret Spies
by Jaycee-Leigh Robinson

The people I'm about to tell you,
Walk around in disguise.
The people I'm about to tell you
Are secret spies.

They carry around their suitcases,
And gadgets and all that,
And they go to lots of different places,
Even though they don’t know where it’s at.
Secret spies can be anyone,
Even someone you know,
Just think about it,
Because it can be so!

Highly Commended

Biodiversecology
by Elizabeth Waldron
Strathfield, NSW

The curtain rose lightly like new morning mist
Reminiscent of old Greek mythology
The conductor’s hands fluttered like leaf litter, softly
Revealing a hidden ecology

Old man orangutan swayed a bass pulse
Mimicking kinesiology
Monkeys and marmosets chased violins
Ignoring their sweet musicology

Percussion played elements, deep in the forest
Water and air and geology
Cats prowled the brasses, threatening all
Showing their feline psychology

Until interval

When the Electus parrot shrieked like a broken record
"will all patrons please turn off your mobile phones.
Photographs are NOT permitted"

The audience shifted with sloth-like reproach
And the camel looked quite supercilious
"Those kids today think they’re SO special" he sneered
"Their arrogance makes me feel bilious"

"I agree" cried the dugong, "they’re full of themselves
We’ll never be able to beat them
Unfortunately we’re all vegetarians so
We can’t even manage to eat them"

Up on the stage, the dancers peered querulously
Without any thought of apology
They said "They’re pathetic, completely bizarre

They’re not joining OUR rich ecology!"

Highly Commended

Grief
by Katelyn Fritz
Marburg, Qld

Is a deep shadow of sadness within your self
That sadness creates a black hole where the once living memory
becomes a deceased memory
The memory’s presence causes anger, terror and anguish
Your inner self becomes distraught and doubts whether to
Forgive or forget
Blame passes through all that you know and that causes
even greater problems
You will find no elation in one’s soul filled with grief,
Only horror, pain, fear and worry
For others you will find denial, resignation,
Confusion and guilt
With time the grief may fade and be replaced with acceptance
But one thing to remember is that the grieving will never stop
completely
The deceased memory will never escape the lover’s mind
And with acceptance comes the releasing of guilt
And the will to get on with life
Without the full blast of forever screaming
Grief