I’ve Ridden Slipshod Over My Life
from the start, till now, nervous
in Primary School, checking
if my nose was clean, in the half-hearted mirror
of the classroom window as we lined to go inside
and afraid, always afraid, of teachers, girls, my parents, girls
of blinding sunlight, of rain, of the dark
But now I’ve been handed, not an excuse
more an explanation; I’m Disordered, in a Bipolar Affective manner
—although it took my fourth shrink to spot it
when I was almost 56—so all those days of lying on couches
in bed, hiding, my innumerable escapes
two tossed-away careers, my murdered marriage; and, Erron
I wasn’t an “oblivion seeker”, more a “euphoria chaser”
chasing after the highs I have of greyhounds
exploding round a track inside my head, so
I’m apologising to everyone I’ve hurt—son, ex-wife
grand-daughter, friends, ex-friends, girlfriends, students
colleagues, parents, brother, sisters—the only way I have right now
by lowering my voice and changing the bloody subject
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