Competition

First Prize

Alzheimer’s
by Boyd Tarlinton
Caboolture, Qld

His memories,
Like stardust.
Slowly slipping away,
Into a black nothingness.

He grasps at them,
But they slide,
Twisting through his fingers,
Drifting out of reach.

Blown away,
On the wind,
Like dull Autumn leaves,
Until there is nothing left.

They scamper away,
Evading him,
Hiding in dark corners,
Taunting and teasing.

Who are the people who visit him?
Why do they stare?
Tears in their eyes.
Do they know him?

A glimmer of recognition,
A fleeting memory ,
But like a candle in the wind,
It flickers, then fades.

Sometimes tantalisingly close,
Memories of a unique life.
Now only shadows and dreams,
Ghosts and whispers.

Second Prize

Drought
by Jamie-Lee Egberts
Silkstone, Qld

From my window,
Amid the sky's sweet, romantic, everlasting blueness,
I see snowy cloud puffs lying around like exhausted teenagers on the comfy couch.

From my window,
Dried, wheat-yellow grass is scattered all around,
And straggly, bare trees border the barren vista of the bush.

From my window,
I hear the whoosh of the dusty, once splattered with raindrops, wind,
And the rustle and crackle of the leathery leaves.

From my window,
I see the puffs of air quietly smothering each layer of hard, flaky dirt with another,
And I see the precious droplets of water evaporating from the dry riverbed and
The stillness of the few reedy grasses beside it.

Third Prize

A Tale of Two Worlds
by Alexandra Kerslake
Victoria Park State School, South Mackay, Qld

The rush of a frantic workforce, scurrying to their jobs
Bustling through unknown faces, travel the fractious mobs
While the city lights shimmer, beneath the faint grey sky
The stray dogs are barking as the orphaned children cry

Where in the rural area, a country house stands alone
The rustle of a bush, soothing the wind's steady moan
Rattling of the wire fence, surrounding the abode
The sudden call of a bird, on a distant lonesome road

Overhead a storm occurs as a deafening roar speeds by
A truck carrying goods, to where its destination lies
Sirens can be heard as police cars' lights flash blue
To warn people to move away so they can hurry through

The sun's setting blaze stretching across the darkening sky
Night is now dawning, for the moon is way up high
Songs of night time echo, through the treetops and the breeze
For as the music travels, the light hastily is seized

The rushing, crowded cities, might be the place that I choose
Though the outback takes my breath away, surely it can't lose
They say that living in the city 'is in the dark' that's a fact
But as is said in all great books, opposites attract