Pebbly Beach was our go-to, school’s out,

backyard playground:

where we ran away to, moved away from,

kicked off against.

It’s what helped shape us.

Where you met and broke up with people;

sulked or celebrated.

Where you learnt how to swim

and hold your breath under water;

tasting native oysters for the first time.

Where your parents hoped to find you

when you went missing.

Where you wanted to forget

but it wouldn’t let you

because it was part of your living being.

When you revisit such places after 40 years

you’re not sure what it is,

but the meaning lies deep,

makes tears,

goes in all directions.

like a fragrant dream.

Hard to put into words.

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In this series, Hilary Burden writes poems inspired by photographs taken around Tasmania. Hilary Burden is a British/Australian author, journalist and photographer. She lives and writes from a shack on an acre in the low hills of Swansea. Her memoir, A Story of Seven Summers - Life in The Nuns’ House, was published in 2012 by Allen & Unwin. More of her photography can be seen on Instagram, @hilaryburden.