Metamorphosis
The mother is now the child
and the daughter scolds her
for driving late at night
and the mother cowers
on the sofa half afraid of her.
Her disgruntled child seems
taller and stronger than she remembers
and the daughter goes into the kitchen
to cook some beetroot broth
and they sit in the lounge room
quietly together, not a word spoken
and then the mother nods off
to sleep watching television
and the daughter carries her
to the bed and watches her mother
dream and she stands over
guarding the bed like some Roman sentry
and then finally she goes to bed to plan
the next day and this is love
in a strange disguise, but love nonetheless.
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