On the dreamy river,
drifting with the tide,
past old shutter’d houses
where history lives inside.
Breezes tease the palms,
stir a lazy frond or two,
and in the milky sky
the heat is shining through.
The Portuguese and Dutch,
the British all were here;
five hundred years of stories
like magic can appear.
An old kampong by the Melaka River, Malaysia. Photo by Ginette Pestana
See those trees
up to their knees
in the lake.
Branches bare,
no leaves to spare,
no boat’s wake
disturbs the sunken forest,
beneath a blazing sun,
so far from everyone,
the waters are at rest.
Lake Pamamaroo, Menindee. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Teacher’s note: Nine mainly shallow lakes make up the Menindee Lakes on the Darling River in New South Wales. Menindee was the first town established on the Darling, on the lands of the Barkindji people. The nearest major city is Broken Hill.
Where are you going,
over those stones,
past those old cliffs,
the colour of bones.
Through ancient forests
you tumble and twist,
until at long last
you are lost in the mist.
Photo by James Aitchison
Here is where I’d like to float,
in my very own white boat.
I’d slowly rock from side to side,
while sleeping on the gentle tide.
Sometimes I’d sail upstream in style,
and that would make life so worthwhile.
I’d catch some fish to cook each day,
and leave my troubles far away.
Teacher’s note: This poem could invite a class discussion about why people love their boats and rivers. What dreams do students have about a “dream” escape?
From the foot of Peppercorn Hill
I flow, from a boggy heath in
the Snowy;
I journey by Canberra,
then map my mighty course
past Gundagai and Wagga,
to where the Murray waits.
My river’s tale is fraught
with a dozen deadly floods,
yet my relentless waters
bless Riverina farms.
Since the dawn of time I’ve been
Australia’s Big Water —
the Murrumbidgee River,
the life source of my land.
Teacher’s note: The Murrumbidgee is Australia’s second longest river, edging the Darling into third place by a few kilometres. “Murrumbidgee”, in Wiradjuri language, means “Big Water”. The photograph shows the Murrumbidgee at Wagga Wagga.
Born in the ranges
where horses run free,
tumbling and chasing
its way to the sea.
Fed by the snows,
broadening now,
no shadow or cloud
its waters allow.
The great Snowy River,
watched by this tree,
sweeps on to victory
and enters the sea.
Rainforest children fall
Into green dreams
Visions
Embracing nature’s eyes
Releasing their love for salmon.
Releasing time
In my heart for
Visions of night fishing with Poppy
Evenings of searching for the perfect spot
Remembering our smiles at my first catch.
Revealing wild rivers
In the journeys they inspire
Visions for tourist and visitors
Entranced by nature’s eyes
Recipes are made for protective renewal.
June said: I wanted to work with the idea of three ways to think about the river: Prompt #19.
Running to school one cold wet day
Into dreams of escape and running away
Visiting islands full of sea and sun
Enjoying swimming and lots of fun
Returned to reality dark and grey.
Required homework not done yet
Idiot me never a teacher’s pet
Very hard to get past this disaster
Explaining why I can’t work faster
Rewriting forever the homework set.
Run river run:
sIlver over stones
riVer sobs and moans;
briEf gleam in the sun:
riveR run and run.
Run River run
rapId to the seas;
riVer leap with ease,
tEasing just for fun:
River run and run.
Australian Children’s Poetry 