Remember?

• Iva Nguyen Fu, Grade 4, Canberra Grammar School -
• Poetry
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Unleashed 2022' competition

Not a sound heard but the trickling of water,
Trees are swaying in the gentle breeze.
By the breaking of dawn, children are exploring new places for food and water.
Women are wading through creeks, filling string bags with lily roots.
Men are hunting in the forest, lush green trees overhead.
Soon, the smell of food descends upon the hungry children.
During the evening, around a camp fire, stories are told and memories shared.
When twilight comes, animals creep out of their homes and search for food.
Now, the sound of cars fills the streets, even before the breaking of dawn.
The wind howls at the top of its voice, never waking a single soul.
In the city, children are fast asleep.
Women and men go to work, little time for children who are choked by factory smoke.
No more creeks, big dams now.
No more hunting, supermarket now.
Stories are still told and memories shared, but all in big houses now.
Midnight comes, but still not a shadow of an animal to be seen…