Topic Tags:
0 Comments

on empty

John Carey

Jul 01 2010

1 mins

On a hot day the North-West Plain is so flat it isn’t.

The horizon curves and stirs like a wisp of moustache.

Animals burrow that aren’t meant to burrow.

Prey walk past their predators under a white flag.

The eyes of roadkill are left to boil in their sockets.

The can of beer is dry when you open it.

A cigarette is rolling another swagman.

The motor smokes nervously before you start it.

The mobile phone sweats, whimpers and croaks.

The devil is on holiday in Tasmania.

The paddock on the left is Texas.

The seat of government is the only tree.

We’ll take a rest-stop at the next mirage.

Is it far? It has been. Are we there yet? No. 

Comments

Join the Conversation

Already a member?

What to read next

  • Letters: Authentic Art and the Disgrace of Wilgie Mia

    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

  • Aboriginal Culture is Young, Not Ancient

    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

  • Pennies for the Shark

    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