Australia in an Indonesian Cinema
The critics gave it half a star,
I gave it tears, great gulping
sobs I swallowed down
whenever Our Nicole
kissed Our Hugh
or on screen
hopped a kangaroo.
A filtered lens made red rock
and pink sky,
like Our history, it satisfied.
There was no cultural cringe in Jakarta,
just uncensored sincerity, hushes, laughter.
Baz, we went over the rainbow
and found you pots of gold, row by row.
There it was, my dreamtime song,
delivered falsetto American, dong.
I clutched for home, whatever could assuage
(I’d take anything at this stage).
Many will disagree, but World War III is too great a risk to run by involving ourselves in a distant border conflict
Sep 25 2024
5 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