I don't think I'm ever going to grow tired of hearing that a poem of mine has been shortlisted for a poetry award.

This time around it's my poem, At the Foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, that has been shortlisted for the Jean Stone Award run by the Fellowship of Australian Writers' New South Wales Branch.

The poem and the moment it describes are burnt into my memory. Somehow the act of writing words to capture the experience has burnt it into the grey matter of my brain. I know I'll never forget the experience of riding my bike along a suburban footpath and the moment a noisy native miner chick flew past my face. And that feeling, that rush of air, those pedals churning, that bird her wings flapping - it's all as alive as it was in the moment that it happened.

There have been many moments since then, most consigned to the dust bin of forgetfulness. But this one, immortalised in words, lives on. I don't even need to read the poem because the act of writing it cemented it in my brain. A beautiful side effect of the art of poetry.

Having this poem shortlisted was a lovely surprise. I've been entering as many competitions as possible this year, spending all my pocket money and loose change on entry fees. I figure, you've got to be in it to win it. It feels a little like gambling but with (hopefully) the element of talent replacing the element of luck! No wins yet and as usual many more failures than successes but it's moments like these, when someone sees something in your poetry that moves them, that keep me going.

Thank you to the NSW branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers for shortlisting my poem!