This is a poem I wrote in the weeks after Tash passed. I was remembering this trip down the Murray River where Tash, Sarah, Harriet, Meryl and I, joined Kia on her 4 month paddle from source to sea. We kayaked for five days, camping on the river bank wherever we liked the look of, laughing and eating bojangles by day, warming ourselves by the fire and staring at the stars by night. I always thought it was luck that stopped us all getting crushed by the big old river red gum branch, but I realised when I was thinking about this trip, it might have actually been Tash's pace that kept us safe.

I recorded this a couple of months ago and planned to re-record it, planned to change it, planned to finish it, planned to make it better, to make it do more justice to how much joy Tash brought, how thankful I am that I got to be her friend, how much I miss her glorious presence and light in this world.. but for now I thought I should just share what I have as an expression of how much she meant to me. I hope you like it.

Thanks Sarah for this nice photo.
Thanks Kia for the sound recording of the Murray River babble.
Thanks Harriet, Meryl, Sarah, Kia and Tash, for a really beautiful few days all those years ago.

halleykat