Holly Desmond
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Memory Keeper / Poem
My images of Herring island were inspired by the natural environment and beauty that has been created through great adversity, and drastic changes the development of Melbourne made to the river overall. The images are of ordinary things I've seen that create a visual memory of my time on the island. My poem is a reflection of what I have learnt about the story and history of Birrarung, and the feeling of importance of keeping memories and stories alive. To remember where we came from, what matters, and how we can keep in touch with the songlines in our own lives. Materials: Jet printing onto silk Iphonographer www.hollydesmond.com.au |
Birrarung - the Memory keeper
Island in a river Tree covered land Underneath the fallen bark Is deep silt and sand We are all an island And we leave our mark All islands in a river And from this we must start We stand now in the River of Mists What can we see what can we be How do we keep the story alive And through the mist who are we Weaving shifting moving twisting Snakelike ever flowing stories Families fishing talking growing Believing in Birrarung’s glory Sustenance stars and connection Searching where fish did thrive How do we hold the deep deep story Keep the story alive alive alive Washing the people in their place She flows cold in the winter Washing the stories down the river Refreshing the people in summer Over land traverse the hills Through the valleys and the gullies From here to there and where does it end Nourishing land and cleanses never sullies From the deep wet forest to the wide open sea What do we give and what do we take What do we see along the way What more to love and what do we forsake Look for the dancing woman When you journey from the start If ever you lose your way Stop a moment search your heart Downstream from her wet forest hair Traverse the line of her body Go to where freshwater stops And meet the water that is salty And listen to her songline Stop a moment ask what to do Do you really own the land Or does the land own you She is the one who holds the memories No matter what we have done The river is us and is a mighty power To keep the story alive she still lives on Where you leave your words It is at a place where they belong Right here where the saltbush lives And will soon become a billabong HD Feb 2015 |
Scenes on the Yarra acknowledges the traditional owners of the Yarra River and its environs, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.
