Falling into the category of early nineteenth century: early colonial poetry and prose is the work penned by Charles Harpur titled “A Midsummer Noon in the Australian Forest” (1851). My first blog will delve into themes expressed in Harpur’s poem as well as my impressions upon first reading it.
My first impression of the poem was feelings of calmness and tranquility. The poet highlighted the beauty found when listening to and observing the Australian Landscape. The imagery and language used breathes life into the observations the human being visualises within his environment. It encouraged me to write my own poem focusing on the poem’s motif of ‘quietness’. Drawing from my own personal experience my poem will focus on observations made once the sun sets and the moon rises in the night sky. Similar to Harpur’s poem I aimed to incorporate the same literary devices such as: imagery, metaphors, personification and more to entice my audience. The style of the poem is free verse .
Nightfalls
Goosebumps along my naked skin,
The night embracing its coolness,
Tender and calm like the luminous moon,
No words exchanged,
Walking, wandering, stumbling,
Head heavy, dry mouth,
Eclipsed light,
Shadows awakening,
Careful not to wake the others,
Slowly…gently resting against a frigid surface.
Trees whispering to one another,
Breeze dancing with the leaves,
Notes of tranquility fill the air,
The inevitable dark,
Nightfalls, rejoicing, reuniting with the stars.
Questions cascade the mind,
The what if’s are present,
Dreaming of what’s to come,
Sharing these desires with the fog,
The unknown, daunting…exhilarating.
The moon majestic and beautiful,
Will soon be weeping,
Relish in the moonlight,
The vast blackness, ambiguous,
Laying here, arms out,
Falling with the dead of night.
Natalia's Online Journal 