Wednesday's Verse - Buaya, Buaya

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This week’s verse moves from a poem about the jets celebrating Australia Day, to a multi-language verse based on an Indonesian folktale. It is taken from 366 Days of Poetry, a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2016.

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Buaya, Buaya


Buaya! Buaya!

Monyet, you climb higher.

We can see the crocodile

come swimming to the tree.



Monyet, monkey,

climbing up the mango tree,

says he left his innards

hanging in the leaves.



Crocodile, buaya,

let the monkey go.

Now, the monkey he climbs higher,

and he dances to and fro.



Buaya! Buaya!

laughs the monyet in the tree.

I always have my innards.

My innards are in me!



Buaya, buaya,

away he slowly swims.

He goes home, no monkey

to feed his wife or kin.

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You can find the first two poetry collections at the links below - although there are plans to reissue them with more genre-appropriate covers in the future. The third collection will be released later in the year.


Location: Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

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