Epicentre; What I Found
Epicentre
I woke up dazed
some taniwha had risen
underneath my bed
straight up from
the centre of the earth
and humped like
a green horse
first time under the saddle.
Then the noise
a peremptory growl
travelling away from me
as swiftly as a train.
How unusual and strange.
I couldn’t write a poem
for every earthquake
I have lived through
they all have their little quirks
but every other one had rumbled
towards me, done its worst
shivered, rippled, shook
then galloped away.
The house and I settled
down, drew our breath
and the earth turned.
What I Found
Six buttons, by the bus stop, one was tartan
one was cracked, I threw it away, and then
I found a yellow paperclip, slightly splayed.
I saw a hairclip but I didn’t want it. Left it.
I found a balcony above the common ruck
a man who shimmered as he spoke like …
I found a girl clothed in gooseflesh teetering
on Tinakori Road. I found her a taxi, simple.
By lifting one arm. I found a torch and then
a rose garden, and the will to purloin roses.
And I found 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