Air-Brushing
Like an archaeologist gently brushing
a precious artefact
she caresses an old photograph
from a crumbling envelope
and the face she has struggled to recall
snaps into clear focus.
She has settled for second best
knowing that this, her first love,
is out of reach.
It is not a matter of attractiveness
or suitability, for he has passed
on both counts.
She has been passably happy
and experienced more love
than most.
She puts on her reading glasses
and in the background
notices for the first time
the balancing rocks
of her homeland.
Her childhood reaches out
and wipes a tear from her cheek.
She looks out of her window
at her second home, smiles,
and accepts where she is.
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