gilayn manday (high tide)
manifest as tears, he finally came
my spirit was drenched in him
like he come up to hug a brother
this bingay (older brother), him quenched a thirst vengeful
sated scorching anger
girambit (salt-water) salving sorrow, a bit;
this rising up inside over 232 wayibala (white fella) years
is a rage for which english fails –
yii Gathang-guba bakaaba!
baal baling wuba giwi bali (don’t extinguish fire, not dead)
will never be extinguished
is everywhen
but wayibala no listen
nganda giripundu bulbarii yiiga barrin!
like a torpedo fish rising up out of the water, then goodbye net!
wayibala-guba anti-depressants, bari – (go –)
wayibala-guba counselling with strange uncles’ I don’t fucking know! yiiga! (goodbye!)
wayibala-guba ‘antipodean’ philosophical survival cum nihilism: weep,
wayibala, weep
it all away! and sob
over the guttural
dirge
that gilayn manday plays
as he come all ways –
nyuguwangay (with him)
I found strength
burray, ngarin, (boy, older sister)
all same
nyina bari nyina barra –
they all sit, go, sit
bambi birriwal, (make fire strong)
ngarramba (make know)
burning, barragay (with me)
resilience; bumbi watha! (blow the fire)
blow the fire!
much older than
you think everywhen never strong?
grow up, wayibala
grow up knowing that
these tears come also for you
they cry for you and make us both come strong
ngarramba birriwal (knowing is strength)
the whole is in all parts
all parts tell me that
but you only recognise since last week, wayibala
learnt from an aunty you never meet
bilbal bakanda nyukang buwi (writing on stone, aunty dead)
bingay, he come, somewhen go,
through fire regains
it’s getting late
the tide retreats
spirit remains
bimaygal gagil
gilayn manday bari
nyara nyina
Italicised words and phrases are English-phonetic Gathang, a language shared between Worimi/Warrimay, Birpai/Birrbay and Gringai/Guringay mobs, NSW. In Gathang, gilayn manday is a noun-like term, and is referred to and recognised as an entity.
