Last Night
(The italicised lines are the title of a book by Terence Blacker about his friend, Willy Donaldson.)
Last night I took my life apart
And threw it on the fire.
I stirred the ashes of my heart
Still smouldering on the pyre
And heard a voice within the fire
Cry out in bitterness:
You cannot live as I have lived
And not end up like this.
Last night I measured out my days
And hid them in the earth.
I measured them a thousand ways
Weighing what they were worth
And heard a voice beneath the earth
Cry out from the abyss:
You cannot live as I have lived
And not end up like this.
Last night I bundled up my past
And lugged it to the lake.
Such a sad farce from first to last
And such a big mistake!
I whispered to the listening lake
As cruel as a kiss:
You cannot live as I have lived
And not end up like this.
Prince, are you there? The thickening air
Begins to smoke and hiss:
You cannot live as I have lived
And not end up like this.
Madam: Archbishop Fisher (July-August 2024) does not resist the attacks on his church by the political, social or scientific atheists and those who insist on not being told what to do.
Aug 29 2024
6 mins
To claim Aborigines have the world's oldest continuous culture is to misunderstand the meaning of culture, which continuously changes over time and location. For a culture not to change over time would be a reproach and certainly not a cause for celebration, for it would indicate that there had been no capacity to adapt. Clearly this has not been the case
Aug 20 2024
23 mins
A friend and longtime supporter of Quadrant, Clive James sent us a poem in 2010, which we published in our December issue. Like the Taronga Park Aquarium he recalls in its 'mocked-up sandstone cave' it's not to be forgotten
Aug 16 2024
2 mins