Resilience Theme Analysis

Like lines on a map
slashing hills and creeks
ridges and plains
rocks and spinifex

Old people laughed
when Mum told them
about the Boss’s paper map

Grandpa Mick shook his head
Hills won’t move for a line
Trees won’t bend for a line

Granny Rosy flicked her hand
Pah – inside the lines
Outside the lines
It’s all our country!

But here I am
Trapped by lines
walls
window
door
shadows on the moonlit floor

Fencing me in
Cutting me off
Slicing me away

Making me cry
cry
cry
for home

Policeman yanks my chin up
Look at me!
No tricks
do you hear me?

I – will – not – look – at – him

If I look
I hear myself screaming
to be let out of the store room
hear Aunty Adie begging
hear policeman telling Boss
Thank you for confining this child

He straightens up
About time!

My heart jumps

Mum?

This last story is my favourite
It is about a man named Jonah
who is flung into the sea
and swallowed by a whale

Reverend rests the bible on his knees
stretches his arms wide
A whale is like a giant fish

He loves the story so much
he starts to read it again

I slip my hands
under my curls
cover my ears
block his whining voice

I am not listening
In my head
I’m someplace else

I hear the crack of flaming wood
smell smoky campfire burning
lean against Mum’s knee
listen to grannies tell stories

In my head
I’m home

I don’t want to stay on the ship
but
I don’t want to leave either

What’s wrong with me?

I hear Mum’s voice in my head
Be strong

When I am upset
Mum always says
Be strong
just like I know you are

I take a shuddery gulp
Tell myself – be strong

Reverend pulls me along

I breathe deeper
pretend I am bigger
taller
older
I walk like I’m not afraid
like I am brave

Nancy comes up
spins me around
Ay, new girl!
Meet Emmy and Dot
They nor’westers too

Emmy and Dot
are bigger girls like Nancy
Emmy has curly hair like mine
Dot has a round face like Nancy
They nod at me shyly

Nancy says
Nor’westers stick together
Sou’westers stick together
Got it?

Janey elbows past Nancy
Hey, I’m sou’wester
and I got sou’wester and nor’wester friends!

Nancy teases
Ooh – prickly little sou’wester

Emmy pokes Janey
Dot laughs

Nancy towers over Janey
Mind ya own business, sou’wester!

Janey puts her hands on her hips
If I minded my own business
you wouldn’t have any stuff…

Janey’s fingers work fast
She twists the twigs
into a little person with arms
and legs and everything

Janey holds it up
See, Annie
a stick doll

I’ve seen a real doll
Visitors came to the station
with a girl who carried a doll
She carried it
like I used to carry little sister
when she was a new baby
Doll had clothes and shoes
and staring eyes
Janey’s bush doll has no eyes
but she feels smiley

My fingers stroke
the doll’s twiggy face

Nancy rolls her eyes
That’s what boys do
Forget boys!
Let’s be girls
make ourselves pretty

Nancy finds
a patch of bright flowers
Janey shows me
how to join them together

I’ve got flowers round my neck
round my head
round my arms
Nancy’s got more

Nancy stands
walks up and down
nose in the air
I’m Nancy
queen of the world!

I am too sad to eat bread and berries

Eatin’ makes you tougher
Janey says
You got to get tougher, Annie

Nuh, Janey
says Nancy
Teacher got it in for her now
Be watchin’ for a chance
to have another go
Annie got to talk

But I can’t talk

Sometimes
I feel my voice
rattling inside me
like a trapped thing
trying to get out

My voice got lost
when bully boots policeman
took me from the station

Don’t know when it will come back

She shrugs
Government don’t like our family
Don’t like Annie’s family
or Nancy’s
That’s why they took us
to make us forget our families
to make us forget our country
to make us what they want

I won’t be what they want
’specially not on the inside

Grandpa told me
our people been in our country
forever

This is your home place, my girl
Your heart place
You remember that

My heart tells me
it’s the same
for Janey and Tim’s family
same for Nancy
same for all the kids here

Tim says
I won’t forget, sis

Can’t forget yourself!
says Janey

We all laugh

No one can see us here
Just trees
lizards
birds
and wildflowers

Catching gilgies
making fire
eating bush food
being with friends
keeps me strong
stops me breaking

When I look into the fire
I pretend I’m not in a bad place
I pretend I am home

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gotta run!
says Janey

A kookaburra calls

KOO – KOO – KAA – KAA

The bird skims the treetops
swoops low over me and Tim
soars away

Tim’s eyes go big
Janey loved kookaburras
They special to her
like mudlarks are special to me
What you think, Annie?
Is sister flyin’ home?

Tears stream down my cheeks
Yeah, Tim
she’s gone home

We gaze after the kookaburra

You know what, Annie?
Someday
I’ll grow me own feathers
Fly home to Mum and Dad
and Granny Alice
like Janey wanted

I give Tim a shaky smile

If birds have wings
so do songs

Tonight
when all the girls are sleeping
I will send a song
on the moonlight
to my mum