Diabetica
A man coughs like a box
and turns on yellow light
to follow his bladder
out over the gunwale
of his bed. He yawns upright
trying not to dot the floor
with little advance pees.
The clock on the night-stand
biting off an hour he hates.
Sugar, the sick caterer
managed with unzipping needles.
Blood syrop, shortener of legs,
ichor of the bishop
whose name is on a school
because he could not beget.
Like many milk-blind scholars
and farmers short of breath
above billions in sweet graves.
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