Maggie Walsh, Sunset

Thanks to the editors of The Queensland Poetry Festival Anthology (2014), First
Nations Telegraph and Five Bells, where some of these poems were first published.
First published 2016 by Vagabond Press
PO Box 958 Newtown NSW 2042 Australia
www.vagabondpress.net
Designed and typeset by Michael Brennan.
@ Maggie Walsh 2016.
Cover image © Maggie Walsh.
ISBN 978-1-922181-83-1

Maggie Walsh

Sunset

Vagabond Press | Indigenous Australian Writing

Contents
Big Rain Comin’ .... 7
Christmas Time .... 8
Petals .... 11
Sunset .... 12
Valentine’s Day .... 13
Free .... 14
The Boarder .... 16
Switchboard Operator .... 18
The Laundry .... 20
The Man With The Blue Guitar .... 22
He Used To Call Me Darling .... 23
Brekky .... 24
Better Put The Billy On .... 26
Words of Old .... 29
Instant .... 30
Warden’s Keys .... 32
Downtrodden Black .... 33
Wooden Table .... 34
Tapestry .... 36
Five Cents .... 38
Pretty Stone .... 40
A Fresh Sea Feed .... 42
Small Town .... 43
A Stroll On The Beach .... 44
Pokie .... 46
Mother Earth .... 48
Not So Cocky Now Ay? .... 51
Butler Bay .... 52
Jetty .... 54
4 Questions .... 56

I See You There .... 58
I Missed You .... 60
My Great Granny Bessie .... 62

BIG RAIN COMIN’

I saw a butterfly today
It told me that a visitor was coming to see me
I heard two kookaburras singing loud
They told me someone was going to have a baby
The ants told me big rain comin’
And all the green tree frogs croaked in agreement
The birds fell silent, one fell out of the sky
Exhausted from thirst and dehydration
And before he died he said big rain comin’
And all the green tree frogs croaked in agreement

7

CHRISTMAS TIME

I was getting flogged
At the age of eight
A strap across the legs
For not standing straight
Where was my mummy?
Where was my mob?
Through teary eyes
I would sob
Footsteps echoing down the hall
The smell of carbolic permeates the air
All the other girls
Would stop and stare
The sound of the bell ringing
Tells us that it’s dinner time
Have to go wash our hands and faces
Then stand up in line
And now before we eat
We must say Grace
We must also mind our manners
Before taking our place
The sound of cutlery on chipped enamel plates
The smell of boiled cabbage hangs in the air
I pretend
That I’m not there

8

We will be singing
Christmas Carols tonight
Don’t we look all shiny and pretty?
In our frilly dresses of white
On the back of this big old truck
We would stand and sing
Christmas Carols to the white folks only
The melting candles, little black hands be sting
Then on the ground we would be a scrambling
The old white biddies chucking us lollies
Thought the sight of us children
Quite funny and quite jolly
That night I try
Try to sleep in my bed
Thoughts of mummy
Go through my head
Through the window
I see the moon
Mummy will come get me
She will be here soon
Christmas morning, with no wrapping
And with no name
Each and every one of our gifts
Were perfectly the same
I had never had such a gift
The smell of something new

9

Over time, the longer I was there
Thoughts of mummy were becoming just a few
My only comfort was my precious doll
Which was exactly the same as all the others
All here like me
All here without our Mothers

10

PETALS

The petals are slowly dying
The colours are fading
One by one
The petals start to fall
Until there is nothing
Nothing left at all

11

SUNSET

The sun is now setting
The sky is gold and pink
The weather slowly cools down
As the sun continues to sink
Down beyond the horizon
Saying farewell to all
See ya tomorrow sun says
As darkness begins to fall

12