Baraya Barray - Whale Song
By Sonya Holowell
Published 20 August 2024
I am a multidisciplinary artist, which I think reflects the way my ancestors have practised the interconnectedness of artforms. I often vocalise my written poetry, or create poetry with the potential to be musically interpreted. But more than this, poetry is pattern, and it is everywhere. Beyond mere associations to alphabetic text, poetry can be discerned in Spirit, in Country, in bodies, in objects. Poetry is agency. When I listen with the expectation of hearing, I find there are voices everywhere.
Create a vocalised dialogue poem by listening to the song of the Whales. Reflect what
you have heard back to them, offering something of yourself in the exchange.
Sonya Holowell
#30in30 writing prompt
Dharawal
Ngayagang burri burri
ngayagang budbat dharagang
goori nadjung
protector of the mahn
ngaya guide them through the djindi birang
my ngura is guru.
~
English
I am the whale
I am the heart of the river
the child of the water
protector of the fisherwomen
I guide them through the mist
my Country is deep water
~ Elijah, Yr 6, Wollongong West Public
