Competition

Highly Commended

Down Beneath the Waves
by Annie-Rose Forsythe
St Mary’s College, Ipswich, Qld

From the jumble of volcanic rocks on the shoreline
flat, calm and unnoticeable in its ordinary, the ocean.
Snapping the mask into place, I dive down
Down beneath the waves

A new world rushes up to meet me
Sharp, defined, made bold by its watery home
Fringe of seaweed ebbs and sways, bottle green
Pushing past I continue my journey down beneath the waves

Mosaic of colours confronts me
Dazzled I observe the biological cocktail of life
maze of corals shimmy and sway
An Underwater highway down beneath the waves

Each anemone, crevice, coral or rock shelf a building
The tenants flitting in and out
A frantic dance of movement and action
Down beneath the waves

Schools of fish flutter before me
Splinters of light in formation
Echo my movements with their retreat
moving yet never changing, down beneath the waves

Columns of swaying fingers hold dozens of clown fish
Frenzy of motion as the little fish dart out and in again
Their home bobs to the rhythm of the sea
Eerily quiet down beneath the waves

Something looms behind me, air catches in my chest
I turn to face a giant sea turtle rising from the sand
He dwarfs my figure as he propels up above me
Now in awe I watch as he leaves me down beneath the waves

I would stay here forever just merging into the background
My watch tells a different story
I, inwardly groaning, it’s time to leave this place here
Down beneath the waves

Steal one last look, then propel upwards
Breaking the surface face a gargoyle of effort
Calm, flat unchanging mirror to the sky
Not letting loose the secret of what lies down beneath the waves

Highly Commended

The Street Corner
by Jamie-Lee Egberts
Silkstone, Qld

Where one street meets another,
Swings creak lonely,
Trees sway dangerously close to power lines,
Gates squeak shrilly,
Dogs howl at unseen predators,
Cars whiz by without a backward glance
And garbage trucks creep slowly around beeping madly.