Ground-dwelling birds nesting (watch for chicks)
By Alexandria Bridgette, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) 2022
Universities are transitional places
But I lingered at Springfield / a curlew
Calling in the car park / at dusk
Fifteen / the first time I set foot on campus
After weeks of studying online
Not yet out / from beneath my mother’s wing
Each time I returned, I grew no less fond
Of the haunting wails / in the dark
Or the soft carpet of jacarandas / in the morning sun
Springfield was the roost where I alighted
While foraging in the world’s open fields
Where each gentle circle / stretched me anew
It was here I met those / who would become
My closest friends / who would become
The staunchest advocates for my future
It was here I grew / the habit of adulthood
The long stride of confidence
And the steady gaze of ambition
Twenty-four / the first time I left campus
After years of stippling wings of my own
Not yet without / intention to never return
With a history much older than Springfield itself
This is a place to linger and grow / nurtured
In an unbounded nest / from chick to curlew
Alexandria Bridgette is a fantasy novelist and graduate of Allen & Unwin’s Faber Writing Academy. With First Class Honours in creative writing, she has won awards for young writers in both poetry and short fiction. She now dedicates her time to writing, language learning, and managing a day job while bringing the fantastic to life.
Learn more about the UniSQ Springfield 20th anniversary.
