Since dawn the sky was low,
no glimpse of you allowed;
now I see you clearly,
rising through the cloud.
Brave ones dare to climb you,
facing terrors all the way;
but I’m no mountaineer,
down here I will stay!
Teacher’s note: Mount Cook — Aoraki (its Maori name) — is New Zealand’s highest mountain.
In 2014, its height was given as 3,724 metres.
Photo by Ginette Pestana
I am an eagle now in flight,
my wings will lift me high,
above the crowded peaks
that claw into the sky.
I soar among the jagged crags,
they hold no fear for me;
this is the eagle’s kingdom,
and the eagle will be free.
Photo by James Aitchison
The morning mist lingers,
doesn’t want to go.
The air crackles,
overnight was zero.
I’ve stoked the fire,
boiled the tea,
a long cold day
awaits me.
Australian Children’s Poetry 