Onsen
Here, among enormous rocks,
hot springs bubble from the earth
and Japanese men flaunt their worth,
or not: some choose to hide their cocks
with towels but the boldest stands
upright amid clouds of steam
regardless of his kinks and bends.
The waters make us sweat and dream,
our nakedness responds in these
forty sulphurous degrees:
doped to the gills, we slip our bonds.
Each moment here prolongs the hope
that we will be reborn from this
measureless, amniotic bliss.
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