The Emerging Writers’ Festival acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, learn and work, and pays respect to their Elders past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

 

EWF celebrates the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture.

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lillypilly jam – Maya Hodge

In the darkness of night I steal lillypillys on my street / The roads are empty and the light buzzes above me / “Stealing” on stolen land / The cool night air stings my bare hands /

I pick them until my nails are stained the colour of summer sunsets / I steam and boil them in my kitchen, letting the smell of Country swarm my crowded mind / I let them soak in my steel sink and watch them slowly bubble like a tumbling brook / careful not to let them overcook /

When I walk along the maribyrnong I pick eucalypt from low hanging trees, acknowledging Wurundjeri as I collect the long thin leaves / I boil them on my stove and let the oils soak into the faded walls and ceiling / A churning dented pot of liquid healing /

I pick and collect along my street to remember the Old People who came long before, and to breathe in the call of Country / This is what I do at my kitchen stove to honour where I am / My fridge is full of swelling containers of native fruit / I plan on making sticky-pink lillypilly jam //

This poem is part of the Amazing Poetry Race. Discover all five poems by exploring the City of Port Phillip.
Learn more about the Amazing Poetry Race.

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