Desert Archaeology

Desert Archaeology – version for reading on 8 February at MikeFest[1]

Peter Stanley, who was organising a day of celebration at the National Museum of Australia for Mike Smith’s life and work,  contacted me to say  that Mike Smith would like me to read one of my desert poems. He added that Mike would like it even better if I would write a new poem. I then talked to Mike, who told me he thought no poet had yet captured the poetry inside the basic tradecraft of modern archaeology. He challenged me to try, offering ideas and feedback. This poem is the result. It contains numerous concepts and phrases for which I am indebted to Mike.

Camped near the dig, mug in hand,

Out past the Tarn of Auber

(most unglacial of soaks)

In that three quarters of Oz

“Set aside for mystic poetry.”[2]

Country where you count trees to a square kilometre

And trees count the water,

A world of spinifex pixels,

Baldwin Spencer saw a people stranded in time

Primitive, but…