Holly Day: ‘The First of Many’ and ‘After’
The First of Many
The tiny eggs open and larvae unfurl
cluster at the edges of the birdbath as though
already dreaming of breaking free.
I try to explain to the assembled that I, too
am like one of those little black squiggles
a midge waiting to pupate and molt
spread wings and fly away, and that they are to ignore
the crumpled husk I leave behind.
Holly Day
After
He isn’t vulnerable
even in sleep, anymore—my hands fall
rejected, retreat like dying butterflies
into the folds of the blanket, my heart
crawls back into itself
screams to be set free.
Holly Day
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.
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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
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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
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2 mins