Melbourne Burning
Melbourne burning in tempestuous, high flame
Grim Saturday, mid-forties, loud and fast game
Black sky, whirly fires surround—wind-turning
Car has run out of road, my guts are churning
Hide in pipe, no air, sparks licking clothes, leg-lame
House is gone; now trying to save barefoot dame
Burnt eyes, mind says: “Lay Lady, stay—sleep the same”
Heart-wrench to leave, too late—keep spirit-yearning
Melbourne burning
Ravager race, wild animals bound—char-frame
I still breathe—somehow my dog escaped and came
Mary, Flower, King blaze, bravely-fight—spurning
Ash Wednesday, Black Friday—late for learning
Lovers die arm-in-arm—some lost without name
Heaviness lies on black land, naked, un-tame
Melbourne burning
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