The Phantom Wind

• Jasmine Slater, Grade 5, Port Lincoln Primary School
• Poetry
• 2009

Finalist in the 'Xtreme Read 2009' competition

I am the phantom wind.
I love to blow through empty streets and dance up little whirly-whirls and whisper secrets to humans,
I don’t like rain; it is foolish and stupid, as it always pours its entire luggage onto the same place;
The Little Village of Iced Cakes.

I blow through the clouds and spin through humans conversations,
stopping only to rustle the autumn-coloured leaves;
I tickle puppies’ legs and freeze sheepishly, so nobody knows it is I, the phantom wind of mischief.

I ride with the postman and follow a kitten’s tail making it turn so quickly that I am shredded by its fur;
I whistle and dance, barrel roll and fall,
only just making it through the window of a four-year-old’s room.
I dive into a nearby doll’s house, sit in a small wooden chair and join the family for a plastic roast;
I politely push away and dash for the window.

Once out, I am a free breeze again. I am so content that I tip the baker’s hat ever so slightly and,
with the perfume of fresh meat pies wafting through my ghostly self,
I drift over the hills, looking for more adventures waiting for me.