Dragonfly
A dragonfly
rests motionless on my finger
as I gently unravel
the spider’s silk
that is caught
around its wings and thorax.
It seems weightless,
with its dark, slender body,
and six fragile legs on my skin.
I unwrap each strand
until the dragonfly is free,
yet it doesn’t move.
We become a stillness
that dissolves into the morning
until suddenly it shimmers away
on brilliant wings
transparent into the blue.
Vanessa Proctor
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