Richard Stanton: ‘No Books for You’ and ‘Picture of You’
No Books for You
They told me I could not write about widowhood.
I was not a woman
They told me I could not write about dead aboriginal girls.
I needed their permission
They told me I could not write about Australian society.
I might offend LGBTQI
They told me I could not write about global news media.
There was no such thing
I wait for them to tell me I can’t write about being white, 70 and a man.
There is such a thing, I will trigger a hurt, I don’t need permission.
No-one can tell me otherwise.
Richard Stanton
Picture of You
I look for a picture
among the detritus of a thousand years
sifting
in vain
Memory is not enough
to sustain desire
although
truth is, desire like
lust
has folded
into the iron-grey sky
of my autumn afternoon
Richard Stanton
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