Pluto Deposed
One moment I was riding wide
at the rim, youngest of nine brothers,
circling our fiery dad.
Now it seems I’m not even a bastard,
son of a sun—rather it seems,
a grey sludge of dust and ice
failing properly to cohere.
May I remind you of all the children
who have carefully learnt mnemonics
such as My Very Excellent Mother
Just Served Us Nine Pies?
Their trust has been betrayed.
Order disrupted,
no wonder brother Neptune,
next in line, is restless
in his orbit.
Dwarf planet then, you say,
attempting to placate me.
I reject your condescension.
William Rush
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