Swans; Black dog, grey muzzle
Swans
2s
in black tutus
part strobed water.
Black dog, grey muzzle
pads rough ground
plough-ridged
stony, sharp
drops head
round and down
in seamless glide
so the back of his neck
brushes the ground
and inverts the spine
to lie, legs high
balls in an instant
with caterpillar squirm
and sidewise scrunch
flicks to stretch the inner side
and make it outer
rises, shakes and paces
on spindly legs
in the urgent glide
of a postulant
not yet rebuked for haste
until the urge demands
he writhe again
black dog, pink tongue
tracks scent trails
in grass, sticks, stones,
leaves, droppings, bones
scouts ahead
circles back
and keeps me moving
towards the gate
and home.
Robyn Lance
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