As The River Flows Silently By

They leave Katherine's car and walk down to the banks of the Murrumbidgee.

They sit on the grass, under trees.

Margaret unwraps the rest of the sandwiches.

Gaius takes a large bite of apple.

What do I get? asks Terence.

This, says Gaius. taking something out of his pocket.

A Ribena.

Yay! says Terence, ripping the straw off the side. 

Take care! says Gaius. The new straws are made out of paper.

Okay, says Terence.

He stops ripping and proceeds to be careful.

Guess what, says Terence. 

What? asks Katherine.

Margaret told me her poem, says Terence.

Did she? says Katherine. 

It was only the first half, says Margaret. In fact,Terence was helpful.

Terence pokes the paper straw through the hole in his Ribena.

Or tries too.

Was he? asks Gaius. How so?

He gave me his opinion on whether I should use the first person, says Margaret. 

Did I? says Terence.

I see or you see, says Margaret.

A dog or a cuttlefish, says Terence. But it wasn't that sort of poem.

Are you sure you won't have a sandwich, Gaius? asks Margaret.

I won't, thank you Margaret, says Gaius. 

May we hear your poem, Margaret? asks Katherine.

Oh...why not, says Margaret. 

Katherine closes her eyes and leans back against a giant redgum. 

The Murrumbidgee flows silently by.

Margaret coughs and begins:

I see before me a landscape/ of horizontal limestone beds/ and calcareo-siliceous deposits/ in ochres and yellows and reds/ but nothing of green/ although fossils marine may be seen.

Bravo, Margaret, says Katherine. I like fossils marine may be seen.

Quamquam fossils, says Terence.

I toyed with the idea of quamquam fossils, says Margaret. But it seemed out of context.

Unless three of our poems were put together, says Katherine. But not mine of course. 

Everyone tries to remember Katherine's poem.

Yes! It referred to the fact that they were waiting for a message from Arthur.

Reminding Gaius that he should check his phone.