An Autumnal Walk in Strathdale
written by: Michael J Leach
@m_jleach
(Footfalls on concrete paths)
The chittering of flying foxes
(Footfalls on asphalt roads)
The distant hum of vehicles
(Footfalls on nature strips)
The rhythmic chirp of crickets
(Footfalls on driveway gravel)
The bark of a cocker spaniel
(Footfalls on old dirt tracks)
The chuckling of kookaburras
(Footfalls on Strathdale Oval)
The booting of soccer balls
(Footfalls on fallen leaves)
The crunching of dry organics
(Footfalls all round)
A wall of sound
Michael J. Leach lives on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Australia. Michael’s poems reside in journals such as Cordite, anthologies such as The Best Australian Science Writing 2024 (NewSouth Publishing), and his books Chronicity (MPU), Natural Philosophies (RWP), and Rural Ecologies (ICOE Press). A fourth book, Chords in the Soundscapes, is forthcoming from Ginninderra Press. Michael’s poems have received recognition: first place in the UniSA Mental Health and Wellbeing Poetry Competition, commended in the Hippocrates Prize, joint first place and longlisted in the poetry category of the MSB Confidence Writing Competition, shortlisted in the poetry category of the Woollahra Digital Literary Award, highly commended and longlisted in the Liquid Amber Poetry Prize, longlisted in the UC Health Poetry Prize, and highly commended in the Hush Foundation Kindness in Healthcare Writing Prize.
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