WesterlyMagazine

‘Drowning (At the Mouth)’ by Stephen Chinna

This poem is one of two by Stephen Chinna published in Westerly Online Special Issue (OSI16): Oceans. This Special Issue of Westerly is an exciting collaboration with The UWA Oceans Institute, guest-edited by Prema Arasu. Contributors include scientists from the OI alongside literary luminaries and emerging WA writers.

Read Stephen’s other poem in OSI16, ‘Orange Grey Whales (BOOM)’ by downloading the Issue in its entirety for free here.

Between the ages of six to fifteen Stephen Chinna lived in Margaret River. These two poems form part of a larger collection about this period of his life. He has worked as an actor, theatre director and academic among numerous other occupations. He has directed some forty plays and continues to write poetry and songs.

‘Drowning (At the Mouth)’

and one holiday morning
while out at the Mouth
one hot summer morning
a rip took me out sweeping
past the orange grey glistening
granite flat whale slopes

where standing there solo
in trousers and singlet
a scarecrow fisherman
a longline in water
a lean smoke in mouth
nonchalantly watches me
sweep past through the chop
head bobbing arms flailing
no doubt hoping
I won’t disturb his fishing
by snagging his line
or drowning or something

but I found my way back
to the shoreline sloping
panting and gasping
grasping and groaning
staggering up
the drag of the beach
and the lone scarecrow fisherman
long bony feet planted
on the glistening granite
orange grey iceberg
flat wet whale slope
carried on fishing
another smoke in the mouth
perhaps a tailor on the line
maybe during that time
and no doubt pleased
in a non-demonstrative
nonchalant low-key sort of way
that I hadn’t interrupted his day
by drowning or something

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