The Blessings of Saint Vincent
The Blessings of Saint Vincent
Saint Vincent, patron saint of student
clothing, bequeathed to me from the depths
and twists of his sorting tables, a perfect
Victorian camisole, every stitch scaled
in sixteenths of an inch, pin-tucked
lawn and pale silk ribbon that threaded
the three deep inches of lace to play,
across the breasts and shoulder,
a game of hanging on and falling
off and in this antique practice
he gave to me, as skirt and shirt
fell upon floor, something of the feeling
of being both myself and the involuntary
groan of the young man, watching,
waist naked, standing by the bed.
Carol Jenkins
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