The TUMP in Love
Boy poets have these little beards
And most of them wear specs.
Though only technically weirds,
They mostly have these little beards,
The hairies overtop the sheareds,
They’re terrible at sex,
Boy poets with their little beards
And unsuccessful necks.
Girl poets, quite contrariwise,
Are up for it in spades.
Though found in every shape and size,
Girl poets, all contrariwise,
Have burning, yearning bedroom eyes
And wear their hair in braids.
Girl poets (this is no surprise)
Are up for it in spades.
And, dearest reader, that is why
The girls avoid the tumps,
Preferring journalists and fly-
By-night directors, that is why
A versifier such as I
Must languish in the dumps.
The game’s afoot, the stakes are high
And hearts (alas) are trumps.
John Whitworth
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