Derek Wright: ‘Mislaid’
Mislaid
He’s missing a sock, she a glove
lost in the wash or dropped in the rain somewhere.
They keep its twin in memory of
a world that once went round in pairs.
Worn out with disuse, no mending
can save it from an ending.
Not unpartnered like their errant clothes,
they do not miss the other gone
or see them leave. They wear the losses
from the first signs their course is run
till the last grief gets up and goes.
Barefoot or sleeveless in summer dresses,
they miss the things they seldom wear
only when half the wardrobe’s bare.
Derek Wright
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