Flood
Fields lie buried beneath
this water, a shimmering expanse
a boat could pole across avoiding
only bare trees marooned above
the ripples and terns bobbing
like exotic bait to lure the unwary eye.
This same eye, seeing no fences,
leaps its usual confines and tacks
unfettered towards a shining sky
hanging low to meet the water
somewhere beyond the horizon.
But this flight is perilous, for suddenly
it is wriggling, hooked by a dilemma,
this beauty’s terrible truth.
Olivia Byard
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