Topic Tags:
0 Comments

Perfect Place

Derek Fenton

Nov 01 2008

0 mins

Les Murray has his Bunyah.

John Kinsella his Wheat Belt.

Thomas Hardy his Wessex.

Dylan Thomas his Fern Hill.

Robert Frost his road to choose …

Blankets to warm and comfort them.

I have Matabeleland:

as does my good friend John Eppel.

For him the blanket is being

ripped off, and he weeps poetry.

For me it is like someone

long dead, whose face fades fast …

I once had the Matopos.

__________________________

John Eppel: Zimbabwe’s finest poet

Matopos: Granite hills outside Bulawayo, Matabeleland. A sacred place to all Zimbabweans

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