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The Big River

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by Steven Herrick

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The big river

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rolls past our town
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at Hobson’s Bend,

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takes a slow look
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at the houses on stilts

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with timber creaking, paint flaking,

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at the graveyard hushed

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in the lonely shade,

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at the fruit bats

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dropping mango pulp

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into the undergrowth,
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at the foundry, and sawmill

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grinding under a blazing sun,

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at the pub with welcoming verandahs

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shaded in wisteria vine,

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at Durra Creek surrendering
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to the incessant flow,

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at Pearce Swamp upstream

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on the creek among the willows

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and rivergum,
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at the storm clouds

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rumbling over Rookwood Hill,

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at the two boys

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casting a line
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on the crumbling bank,

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at the cow fields

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purple with Paterson’s curse,

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at the jammed tree-trunks

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washed down after summer thunder,

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at the shop
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with dead flies in the window display,

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at the mosquito mangroves

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and the sucking sound of mud crabs,

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at the children throwing mulberries

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the stain like lipstick.

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The big river

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rolls past our town,

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takes a slow look,

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and rolls away.

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POEM CODE
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© Copyright Pre-Uni New College

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PRE-UNI NEW COLLEGE Poem Annotation

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Title :

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01 Figure out the author's tone 02 Figure out the author's purpose
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03 Finding the main idea
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04 Who is the intended audience? 05 Figure out the structure.

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Was the poem intended for anyone (Lines, Rhytme, etc)

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in particular?
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06
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Identifying poetic genre.

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07 Interpreting figurative language

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Figure out your own response to the poem.

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© Copyright Pre-Uni New College

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