World Environment Day Festival Boonah
"After the traditional acknowledgement I gave a short official welcome speech and shared a poem especially written for the festival and dedicated to its themes.
I spoke about how poetry is in everything, the totems that many of the Indigenous people’s of the world have and shared that my family totem from PNG is the Bird of Paradise.
I remembered my youth growing up in Tasmania and working with others to in my community to make sure the Franklin stayed wild river.
I read out some statistics on the state of the environment in Australia and read ‘River Song’ from Magic Fish Dreaming. I focused on the power of unity and collective action from everyone in whatever capacity they can to bring about change in the world, and mentioned the story of Jadev Peyang."
From Love
A Group Poem
Saturday caterpillars are climbing trees.
Saturday’s children sing ‘Caterpillar aeroplane.’
Six caterpillars begin to grow.
In the yellow night time is climbing & purple bubbles of song swing sticks about.
Saturday people swim cobwebs of blue people & blue frogs.
Saturday’s stones know that old love forms in the leaves falling from the trees.
Old women over June are running free red over black stones time is climbing.
Old women over August sing, ‘be that dirt and mud that grows these green forest trees.’
Butterflies flutter free through the dragon grass
From Love, old stones that are scattered form the foundation of all that is to come.
By Jennifer Hume, Kylie Castle, Jessica Brain, Jackie Towell, Dominique, Christina and Ashleigh, David, Norah and 4 anons & June Perkins
Edited by June Perkins
You can find out more about the process of creating this poem HERE
