Leaving
We start to say goodbye
in ways unvoiced
but understood
eyes holding
in the night light
above the cot
family photos
placed in frames
and wallets
your toes down
in push up position
between my ankles
or me on top
arched back,
plum-darks
thrust out
and aching
to feel your hands.
At the boarding gate,
your uniform
crease-perfect,
I straighten your tie
and press a cheek
to yours.
A pact to keep
we walk away
and don’t look back.
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