Sister Heart

by Sally Morgan

  Grandpa’s jokes

  Granny’s stories

  My mum will tell little sister

  Big sister has curly hair

  And she’s a fine singer

  My mum will tell her

  like Janey told Tim

  They won’t forget me

  I won’t forget them

  A kookaburra calls

  KOO – KOO – KAA – KAA

  The bird skims the treetops

  swoops low over me and Tim

  soars away

  Tim’s eyes go big

  Janey loved kookaburras

  They special to her

  like mudlarks are special to me

  What you think, Annie?

  Is sister flyin’ home?

  Tears stream down my cheeks

  Yeah, Tim

  she’s gone home

  We gaze after the kookaburra

  You know what, Annie?

  Someday

  I’ll grow me own feathers

  Fly home to Mum and Dad

  and Granny Alice

  like Janey wanted

  I give Tim a shaky smile

  If birds have wings

  so do songs

  Tonight

  when all the girls are sleeping

  I will send a song

  on the moonlight

  to my mum

  She will hear my song in a dream

  Listen to my voice

  Know it’s me

  I will sing

  I am not lost, Mum

  Watch for me

  Someday

  I am coming home

  Tim looks up at me

  Home’s waitin’ for us, Annie

  And we are waiting for home

  I squeeze his hand

  Someday, Tim

  we’ll all fly free

  Sally Morgan was born in Perth, in 1951.

  She has published books for both adults

  and children, including her acclaimed

  autobiography, My Place.

  Sally is also a celebrated artist and has works

  in many private and public collections.

  First published in 2015 by

  FREMANTLE PRESS

  25 Quarry Street, Fremantle 6160

  Western Australia

  www.fremantlepress.com.au

  Copyright © Sally Morgan, 2015.

  The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

  Cover design by traceygibbs.com.au.

  Printed by Everbest Printing Company, China.

  National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-publication data

  Morgan, Sally, 1951– author.

  Sister heart / Sally Morgan.

  ISBN 9781925163131 (hbk)

  Children, Aboriginal Australian—Juvenile fiction.

  Children, Aboriginal Australian—Institutional care

  —Juvenile fiction.

  A823.3

  Publication of this title was assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

  Fremantle Press is supported by the State Government through the Department of Culture and the Arts.