Charlotte O’Neill: Glass wall
glass wall
the glass between you and the wind is interminable
it is the thick bullet-proof glass. in case somebody were to try and shoot a mid-level professional in an open room.
the glass seems a gate that you once opened
air you once breathed
before you found yourself here. suddenly gasping. wondering where the time went
how it could have given you the slip so readily
how you did not even question it as it closed the door
how you smiled and said fine, fine, it is my lot. I must, after all, pay the bills rent food water and electricity
but here now in this moment, buffeted by the cool air from the air-conditioning vents that release hot air into the sky, use electricity you are paying for, you find yourself suddenly gasping
you ask, where did the seconds minutes hours go between last night and now, between half a year gone and tomorrow
Charlotte O’Neill
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