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Individual human experience are only experienced by one individual, but a collective experience is shared. Human qualities and emotions are associated with, The attributes, characteristics and feelings connected to/caused by human experiences.

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KEY FACTS/ EVENTS IN "PAST THE SHALLOWS"

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KEY FACTS/ EVENTS IN "PAST THE SHALLOWS"

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Name of book  Title: Past the Shallows

Where novel as written: Victoria, Australia

Novel Published: 2011

Literary Period: Contemporary

Genre: Novel, contemporary fiction

novel set: Bruny Island off the coast of Tasmania, Australia

Climax: Dad throws Harry overboard into the storm waves and reveals the truth of Mum and Uncle Nick’s deaths to Miles

Antagonist: Dad/Steven Curren

Point of View: Third-person limited

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Miles is the middle sibling of the Curren family. Miles ultimately shoulder the responsibilities that his siblings are unwilling to do. After the death of Uncle Nick, Miles dad forces him to take Nick’s place on the family's boat. Miles loves to surf and finds solace away from his difficult home life in the ocean whose depths he fears. Miles was in the car along with Harry during the accident that took his mum life Miles now takes on the responsibility to care for his younger brother due to the mother’s absence. throughout the novel Miles is seen shielding his younger brother Harry from there Dad,Miles strength within these situations display immense courage and self-sacrifice as well as diving in after Harry when he thrown overboard into the ocean. Although Miles cares deeply for Harry, Miles is unable to save his little brother from drowning.

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Harry is the youngster of the three Curren brothers. Harry's characteristic throughout this novel are seen as sweet, innocent little boy who is sadly neglected after the death of his mother. Harry is left alone for the majority of the day while his dad and brother Miles work on the fishing boat. Although Harry is terribly mistreated by his Dad, he seems unusually thoughtful and selfless for a child his age, rather then spending his money on himself he uses the money too and help Miles when he is ill. Throughout this novel Harry is seen taken risk while trying to defend his older brother from his Dad’s abuse. Unlike Miles and Joe, Harry is terrified of the water, Harry ultimately avoids going out on the family’s boat as he is prone to seasickness. Later on in the novel "Past the Shallows" It is revealed that Harry is likely the biological son of his uncle Nick rather than his "Dad", this fact tortures Harry's farther and ultimately leads Harry to become overboard from the family boat caused from a winter storm. Harry drowns in the ocean despite Miles’s attempting to save his life him.

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Themes seen within the novel "Past the Shallows"

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Themes seen within the novel "Past the Shallows"

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complexities of family life

Dad is frighteningly abusive towards his own children

Auntie Jean desperately wants to care for Miles and Harry but lacks the ability to do so.

Joe similarly pities his brothers, he cannot help them in the ways in which he seems like he should be able to.

the loss of a mother, wife and sister corrupt the families dynamics and have impacts that have lasted long after the mothers death. personally i feel as though Miles immortalized his mother as an angel in his eyes’,later on in the novel it becomes clear that she was not a perfect mother either.

Our inherent need for nurturing, caring relationships

Harry seems to crave the sense of being loved, which he later finds in George. in this novel it becomes clear that the boys' Dad has no empathy for him, and  their Mum is no longer alive, this is seen in Miles, at times as he is distant, both physically and metaphorically.

Memory and emotion as a powerful driving force to our actions

The past often doesn’t entirely stay in the past. this is seen within the novel At the most unexpected moments, a memory can resurface and completely change our mood, actions and thoughts, this is seen with the use of the ocean as a metaphor. Positive memory's give characters strength  within the novel, but  negative memories turns characters such as dad into bitter, angry and sometimes even abusive.

The farther is haunted by the Mum’s decision to leave him for his brother, this causes anger,His past greatly affects his present with his son's Miles, Harry, and Joe.

Miles memories of the tragic crash, resurfaces time and time again throughout the novel. This is used by the author to educated audiences that memories often intrude on our lives. Miles’ journey of memories caused due to the event of the crash also shows readers, understanding of the past.

People and their connection to nature

The ocean,within "Past the Shallows" reflects the violence behaviorist in human nature.This is a  larger illustration of the characters within this novel and their connection to nature. Setting in this novel allows a universal experiences,that is complex, complicated and  with intrinsic relationship between humans and the world around them.

This notion reflects the human experience of Harry’s life on the beach,  while he is seeking shark eggs, Harry realizes “that time ran on forever and that one day he would die.” Personally this was quite strange as harry is a young child, this could of been caused  be many different factors such as the history of the land that he stands a pond and many more.

The devastating impact of secrecy in small towns

This theme is more subtle than others within "Past the Shallows". It is seen explored within  quips made by the characters, this could be due to  the reflection cultures of small towns.

“Don’t you let him …” Mr Roberts tells Miles, “You’re too young to be out there working, Miles. It’s not right.” The author ends the paragraph with a truncated sentence, “And he let Miles go,” this line break emphasizing the significance of this action. characters recognize the abuse of the Harry and Miles,but does not act upon their ethical obligations. However, the author makes this a  bold statement about how humans often fail to do what is right and do not always know what to do. this shows how within our own world we constantly refuse to confront the issues that we face collectively and individually.

Conclusion

Favel Parrett has become a major well known name in Australian literature, due to her her novel,"Past the Shallows", as this novel evocative depiction of universal human concerns.In this text readers are drawn to significant parts of the novel due to the use of Human experiences ."Past the Shallows" has successfully  created an engaging world into human emotions, motivations, and experiences.

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The role of storytelling in reflecting lives and cultures

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The role of storytelling in reflecting lives and cultures

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"Past the Shallows" explores universal themes and notions, that have a particular culture which reflects, The role of storytelling to engage audiences with unique characters, this allows significant views about on what it means to be human.

"Past the Shallows" is set in the south of the Tasmanian landscape. Each character undergoes journeys that play an immense role in their development, the central and most diverse setting is that of the ocean, which reflecting  the Dad’s moods, the climax of the narrative and, the journey of existence. The ocean is used to be a significant place that holds key event both positive and negative, The author Parrett believes that the ocean surmises what it means to be human. The ocean is also a significant metaphor of  existence in various other texts, such as Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Debussy’s La Mer and even the Bible.

This adds layers of meaning to the novel as well as we begin able to see how reflecting on aspect of the natural world helps to  understands  Parrett’s writing techniques."Past the Shallows" largely reflects a coastal life and culture, where a fisherman’s livelihood is entirely dependent on the behavior of the ocean. this links back to how life is unpredictable.

"Past the shallows" expresses the culture that comes with life in small towns. This adds an extra layer of complexity within the novel. the secrets around the Mum’s death would certainly have been questioned within the community,the small town allows the author to illustrate the intense emotions associated with these universal themes in greater detail.

"Past the Shallows" lack a lot of female characters, this is purposely chosen to show a more masculine culture.Many of the central themes and aspects of the novel express this,the exploration of violence and brotherhood. This is effectively chosen to adhere to the realism of the environment of fishermen, which is stereotypical more masculine, throughout the novel it deconstructing the notation of masculinity itself.

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"Past the Shallows: contains Anomalies, Paradoxes and Inconsistencies examples of these are:

Dad’s constant anger and abuse, despite the warmth and comfort we often associate with familial relationships

Miles being torn between the childhood innocence he misses and the adult reality he is forced into, making him grow up to fast

Auntie Jean’s desire to help the boys while simultaneously being harsh and somewhat irritating

The ocean is a metaphor for the human experience in general for both being beautiful, calm and healing and extremely violent, unpredictable and violent

community of the town being able to recognize the family’s toxicity yet are unable or unwilling to help

The past and the present constantly intruding on each other

These inconsistencies are illustrated by Parrett in order to achieve an overarching goal: to show that humans are often confusing and our lives do not always go the way we want them too, or as expected. This is why many of the adult characters’ behavior and motivations, this is seen Harry and Miles Dad, are partially concealed, making the novels most key focus on the perspectives of the two younger children (Miles and Harry).
the novel "Past the Shallows" shapes the inconsistencies in our behaviors, and how they can shapes our understanding of what it means to be human,” while understanding the characters within in the novel by Favel Parrett.

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"Past the Shallows" structure the author Parrett does not a clear structure for her book, but instead the book is  wrote in episodes. However, both the localized setting and the ending and beginning echo each other and create a bookend effect, sometimes also known as framing or a circular plot as this mean the story returns to where it started, but with slight differences in the ending that imply that all has not stayed the same.

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Admiral d'Entrecasteux

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South coast of New Zealand

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martin is one of the abalone fishermen who works on the boat with harry's and miles' farther, as well as Miles, and Jeff. Martin has a intimidating appearance, but is one of few adults in the story who treats Miles with kindness and respect. He is injured by a shark within the novel "past the shallows" caused by an accidentally reeled onto the boat which forces him to take a leave of absence from fishing. Without Martin there to look out for Miles, Dad and Jeff’s partnership becomes toxic as they encourage each other’s substance abuse, violence, and criminality.

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Stuart Phillips is a friend and peer of Harry curren, Stuart lives in an old, run-down trailer on the outskirts of town. Stuart’s mother runs a roadside berry stand for a living and allows Harry to stay with them after a particularly violent episode of abuse from harry's farther and Jeff. Stuart’s company is an escape from reality of his home-life ,Harry is eager to share his earnings and belongings with his friend.

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Mr Roberts is successful abalone fisherman who is the envy of other men within his home town community. His son, is Justine who was once a close friend of Miles Curren. Mr. Roberts’s has a role within the novel as a loving, supportive father which is a stark contrast to harry’s and miles' fathers abusive behavior towards them. One evening, after Dad abandons Miles to drink at the local pub, Mr. Roberts helps the young man moor his fishing boat and gives him a ride home. Mr. Roberts becomes aware of Dad’s mistreatment of Miles and harry, but although he encourages Miles to stand up to his father, he does not intervene to help the Curren brothers.

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Justin is the son of Mr Robert's, as well as a childhood friend of Miles Curren, both miles and Justine had spent a great deal of time surfing within the summers as younger children. Justin attend a private school this causes both boys to loses touch with each other. After Harry Curren's death, Miles runs into Justin on the beach and the two young men effortlessly fall back into a friendly rapport as they surf with one another, despite their time apart, This encounter ultimately gives Miles an escape from the pain of his little brother’s death and renews him with the same sense of lighthearted freedom he felt as a child.

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George fuller's puppy whom Harry meets in the woods on the way back from Stuart Phillips’s house. Jake leads Harry to George’s shack this later causes the begin of a friendship. Harry learns that George saved Jake from an abusive owner, and the dog now leads a happy life and is a source of comfort and also a escape of reality for George and Harry.

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The late father of Mum and Auntie jean and grandfather of Harry, Miles, and Joe Curren. Before he fell ill and sadly passing away, Granddad was adored by his three grandsons. The brothers have sweet memories of their grandfather, who was also a skilled fisherman and master carpenter. When Joe was thirteen, Dad broke Joe’s arm and Joe went to live with Granddad,the grandfather  decided to leave Joe his house after his death. Auntie Jean contests Granddad’s will in order to claim the house as her own and sell it for a profit, this betrayal leaves Harry, Miles, and Joe heartbroken as they sort through Granddad’s belongings. while doing this, they find the remnants of Mum’s car,which was destroyed in the crash that killed her, within the grandfather’s shed. the Granddad’s decision to hold onto this painful memory ultimately helps uncover the details of Mum and Uncle Nick’s deaths, as the shark tooth that Miles finds between the car seats sparks Dad’s memory and leads him to confess the truth about the night of the accident.

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The mother of Harry, Miles, and Joe Curren and the wife of the father. Harry and Miles were in the car along with their mother during the crash that had killed her. Large portions of the boys memories of the accident is blank due to amnesia. Their mother is described as a loving, nurturing and the light of the families lives. Harry, Miles and Joe as well as the mothers sister 'Auntie Jean' are all left devastated by her absence. Harry struggles to remember his mother due to the young age he was when the car crash had occurred, Harry is ecstatic to find out more about his mother from George Fuller, who was an old friend of their mother and grandfather. Eventually their father confesses that their mother had been having an affair with their uncle Nick, and that she was going to leave him with their uncle Nick, whilst taking Harry and Miles in the car when they crashed.

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uncle nick is the  husband of auntie jean as well as uncle of Harry,Miles and Joe Curren. Before nicks death he was an abalone fisherman who worked alongside dad on the family fishing boat. due to Nick’s absence, Miles is forced to take his place and man the boat while his father and the other fishermen dive for abalone. Dad convinces his family and the rest of the community that Uncle Nick drowned on the same night that mum died in a car accident.later on in the novel dad reveals that Nick and Mum had been having an affair and that they were leaving together with Miles and Harry in the car when they crashed. Dad confesses to Miles that he took Nick’s body away from the scene of the accident while leaving Mum there to die alongside Miles and Harry, as he was in fear that the community would find out about the affair. It is implied that Harry and possibly Joe are Nick’s biological sons rather than the farther Steven Curren, this leads the father to the point that he lashes out violently at the two boys, breaking Joe’s arm and throwing Harry overboard from the fishing boat during a vicious storm.

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George Fuller is an old man which Harry Curren inadvertently befriends.
George is scarred by facial deformities,
He lives in a small woodland shack with his dog Jake.
He is ostracized by the community due to his appearance and solitary nature, schoolchildren believe he is murderous who is a cannibalistic monster.
Harry finds that George is a shy, sweet old man who was a friend with his grandfather and knew his mum when she was younger.
Harry lacks a stable parental figure in his life making George a "farther figure" for the boy, George treats him with the love and gentle kindness he craves that he does not receive from his father.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f01uAAAFUVY

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WEBSITE THAT HAVE INFORMATION ON ABALONE

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WEBSITE THAT HAVE INFORMATION ON ABALONE

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https://kids.kiddle.co/Abalone
http://www.fishtech.com/facts.html
https://thecaptain.tv/articles/the-abalone-facts/

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https://readingaustralia.com.au/lesson/past-the-shallows/

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Auntie Jean embodies that human paradox of being in pain but not able to articulate the feeling of it . On the surface  auntie Jean appears as hard and difficult,but deep down she wants help the brothers (harry and miles). The author Parrett favell effectively evokes these features of Jean:

being the only "mother figure" Miles and Harry has left.

She grieves of the lost of her sister (Miles and Harry's mum) Auntie jean sees so much of her in Harry.

She dearly loves and wants to protect Harry but cannot be gentle or tender with him, as she doesn't want to seem weak.

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The book "Past the shallows" characterize Jeff as being cruel, vindictive as well as developing a bullying behavior. There are a number of incidents that reveal this behavior within the novel:

shooting the shark

forcing Harry to drink alcohol

his overall enjoyment at seeing the boys uncomfortable.

staring menacingly

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The Curren family is dominated by the fathers alcoholic and violent behaviors. Steven Curren (the father) epitomizes the human paradoxes that are often found in families, as he is the only parent of Joe, Miles and Harry he is forced to be the sole provider but his cruelty, personal demons and behavior create tension and conflict within the family's relationship and home-life  as well as the impact on the daily lives of his sons. As readers we only read his name once when officials from the Fisheries Department visit their home. At the center of his behavior is the grief, bitterness and pain caused from the death of his wife and the secrets of what happened on that tragic night, the death of harry is caused by the farther actions, towards the family and his sons,as an audience the farther is no where to be seen after the death of harry, this effectively leafs the reads wanting more, in my personal opinion i am interested to find out what happen to the father after the death of harry.

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Joe had moved out of home at the tender age of thirteen, which untimely left Miles and Harry to survive their fathers violent ways and behaviors

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Harry has a fear of the ocean which in the end the fear of the ocean consumes him, this is the place where harry had passed away, the ocean reflects the emotion of the characters at the time, example of this is how the ocean is described as violent in the first page of the book 'Past the shallows" the ocean becomes a metaphor which creates the mood of the settings within the novel as well as the characters behavior and attitudes

while this is completely different to Miles experiences of the ocean, the ocean is clam when the character Miles is within this setting, the ocean is escape of his reality at home with his abusive and alcoholic farther.

THESE QUOTES BELOW INDICATE HOW MILES VIEWS THE OCEAN AS A NEGATIVE ESCAPE FROM HIS HOME LIFE

"Miles knew the water. He could feel it. Sand he knew not to trust it"

"Miles had only been down once, but that was enough. He’d been scared of the darkness and of the kelp wrapping around his legs. He’d been scared of the heavy feeling in his chest. And it made his head buzz like crazy, the pressure. The weight of all that water."

"In a few years he would have to dive down there for real. "

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pdsfW3Cbuo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSM1KUZLGvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSeGes5bvbA

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The story "There Was Still Love" is the story of twin sisters separated at the age of fifteen by the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, both sisters where kept apart by the Cold War. Which in the end the story of both sisters is told in the eyes of there beloved grandchildren
https://www.readings.com.au/review/there-was-still-love-by-favel-parrettlater

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“When The Night Comes” is about a young girl, named Isla, who moves to an island with her divorced mother and brother. She develops a deep kinship with Bo, a cook aboard the Nella Dan,  which is a an Antarctic supply ship, who is also her mother's boyfriend
https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/10155/when-the-night-comes

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"Past the Shallows" is a story of the bond of brotherhood, where brothers are growing up in a fractured family on the Tasmanian coast. Ultimately the consequences of their parents' choices shape their lives and bring tragedy to them all.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_the_Shallows

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Parrett "who moved to the far south coast to renovate an old federation farm house. The French explorer Admiral d'Entrecasteux had surveyed this lonely piece of coastline in 1792 .. ''T'was nature and nature in her wildest mood.'' this part above links to the story past the shallows and really played a major role when creating this book, the French explore also had a role/ little impacted on the book. The epigraph opens the book and allows and audience to what is to come within the story with personification "... nature in her wildest mood" this depicts the way in which the explorer see the setting around and also allows the audiences to understand what type of setting is taking place or forming within the pages ahead
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/interview-favel-parrett-20110526-1f5jn.html

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Favel Parrett was born on 18 May in 1974.

She grew up in Tasmania, now living in Victoria.

She is an Australian author and loves to surf.

Past the Shallows was her first novel.

This novel was later shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.

The author Favel Parrett  was also nominated for and won the  Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) as well as the winner of the 2012 Dobbie Literary Award for new women writers.

Parrett younger brother passed away,
parrett and her younger brother where best friends

The breakup of their mother and farther took a massive toll on the siblings which later on influence parrett book career
https://readingaustralia.com.au/lesson/past-the-shallows/

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PLEASE CLICK LINK TO WATCH VIDEO!!!!
https://youtu.be/5VlYLJ3uJVw

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Personal reflection "Past the Shallows" pages 77-79

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Personal reflection "Past the Shallows" pages 77-79

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“Past the Shallows” demonstrates high end, and powerful connections to human experiences, this is seen above within the passage, as it uses emotive language to describe the aftermath of a traumatic event, involving mile’s beloved mother, younger brother and himself, even as he has amnesia, his psyche tries to grasp at the bits and pieces, trying to put together the event that transpired that day.

This experience has presented another side of Mile's that we have not seen in the novel, this side is seen as vulnerable and confused, as Miles cannot control his bodies reaction to the event.

The use of representation of human qualities has linked to the symbolic events that are with or arising from the characters in this novel, this is demonstrated above with the use of collective experiences of Miles and Mr Roberts when driving past the crash site of Mile's late mother, many emotions have arisen from this event occurring, we learn how the death of Mile's mother has affected him, a quote backing this up is “The flowers were really there. Like they had been after she died. For months and months." This quote indicates that Miles has not fully accepted the death of his mother and is still grieving, this is shown when he is faced with the memories of her at the site of the crash. And how he used repetition of the word 'month,' to exaggerate his point on the time period of this event to how long the flowers had continued to be replaced by Mr Roberts.

This passage has a different view on the repercussions death has on a character with amnesia during a traumatic time period. At first the assumption is that Miles just didn’t want to talk about the event and closed himself off, but later we find that Miles does not remember the event similar to Harry, both suffering from amnesia, this makes the audience sympathies with Miles.

Overall this passage is powerful as it uses emotive language to make an audience relate with the characters own human experiences such as emotions. This novel has differently allowed me to understand how the death of love ones has a different effects on individuals within “Past the Shallows”.

WORD COUNT -371

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Favel Parrett
2011
pages 77-79
Flowers tied to the tree. White lilies right there, tied to that river gum. Miles choked on his Butter Menthol. He grabbed madly at the door, felt the car pull over, and when he got the door open, he leant over and coughed out a pool of phlegm and spit and whatever was left of the Butter Menthol.
'Jesus! Are you all right?'
Mr Roberts was out of the car. He'd come round and was standing on the side of the road. Miles couldn't speak. He wiped his mouth, sat back in his seat. He didn't want to look at Mr Roberts, and he tried not to look outside at all, but his eyes kept finding that tree, kept staring at the tree and at the lilies until he knew that they were real. That the flowers were really there.
Like they had been after she died. For months and months. Fresh lilies on the tree.
Mr Roberts took his time getting back in the car and when he did he didn't start the engine.
'Butter menthol went down the wrong way' Miles said.
Mr Roberts didn't say anything. Not for a bit. He handed Miles a hankie.
'I never pass here without thinking of her, you know. Not thinking of your mum. It must been bloody terrible.'
Miles blew his nose on the hankie. He shut his eyes.
'I don't really remember' he said.
When he opened his eyes, Miles looked at the tree again. It still had a scar, a line where the bark had never grown back. And it was amazing that it had survived at all. They hit it so hard.

When they pulled up the drive Miles opened the passenger door. He went to get out but Mr Roberts put his hand on his shoulder, held him back.
'Don't you get stuck here with your dad', he said.
'Don't you let him... You're too young to be out there working, Miles. It's not right.'
Miles felt those words skin right down inside him.
'You've had it rough enough', he said.
And he let Miles go.

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Remembering My Mother (related material)

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Remembering My Mother (related material)

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Belinda Stotler
January 2009
My Mother seems so far away from me,
On that beautiful white shore across the sea.
Yet I remember love's soft glow upon her face,
And the feel of her touch and tender embrace.

When I am weary from the burdens I've borne,
And the path is unclear and I feel so forlorn,
I remember her loving support was always near,
And her advice made the path ahead seem clear.

When I feel there is no one who seems to care,
Or when the heartache seems too hard to bear,
I remember how she always stood by my side,
And would tenderly wipe away the tears I cried.
When there are moments of great joy and pride,
And I wish my Mother was standing at my side,
I remember she saw more than I thought I could be,
And know I owe my triumphs to her belief in me.

When I reminisce about the things she used to say,
And I miss her and think she is so far away,
I remember what she gave lives on through me,
And one day I'll see her on the shore across the sea.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/remembering-my-mother--copd