It’s Poetry Friday, at the end of another busy week for me.

I started the week with a writing retreat at Rottnest Island, a beautiful island off the coast of Western Australia. As well as getting some writing done, and having fun with my fellow retreaters (all members of SCBWI), I did a lot of walking, exploring the island and admiring the views and the amazing wildlife. Although the quokka – a small marsupial – is perhaps the cutest and best known animal resident – I was particularly taken with the pelicans, and walked up the beach following this pair as they paddled and fished in the shallows.

Which reminded me that I haven’t yet shared the poem which I have in the newly released Our Home Is Dirt By Sea, a collection of Australian poems for Australian kids, edited by Dianne Bates and published by Walker Books.

The poem which I contributed is called Paraphernalia.

 

Paraphernalia

 

At dawn or dusk

I trudge

cross sandy shore

with rod and reel

bait and bucket

tackle box

knife

and board,

hoping to catch

a fish or two

for dinner.

Pelican

has none

of this paraphernalia,

just one huge beak,

yet he seems to have more luck than me.

 

(Copyright Sally Murphy)

 

If you’d like to see more of Rottnest Island (or Rotto as West Australians call it), I made a photo-story of my walk around the island with my friend Sage Cookson.

 

Happy Friday. You can see the Poetry Friday roundup at Reflections on the Teche.