Competition

First Prize

Fionnuala
by Caitlin Prouatt
Yamanto, Qld

Mirror-light curls and carves
the ripples of the
moon-dyed
lake,

willow-dipped,

velveteen,

cool as a northern caress on
the wing –

I think that I

might be a

bird

Second Prize

Paper Scrap Hope
by Caitlin Prouatt
Yamanto, Qld

He lives in a zoo
and makes friends with
the rambling deer,
and notices when
the clouds
move

He isn’t lonely –
but sometimes
on windy days,
wintry days,
when crows fly overhead,
he thinks he feels
a little more tired than he did
the day before.

She lives in a cloud
and counts black smudges
of bird from above,
and she knows the names
of different kinds of
trees.

She isn’t lonely –
but sometimes
on rainy days,
nothing- grey days,
when an umbrella won’t suffice,
she thinks she feels
a little less brave than she did
the day before.

Sometimes he glances up
and he wonders who flecks
the clouds with gold and
with colours that
were never
named.

Sometimes she glances down
and she wonders why
the deer are not afraid
of the odd looking creature
who stretches out his hands to feed
them.

When he glances up,
he feels a bit like a Homeric
dawn.

And when she glances down,
she’s as brave as
Alexander.