Graeme:
Great poems, (seem to know your name from somewhere!) It's great you have
joined the list, as well, in our small but growing sector of Western
Australian poets. With the big daddy of all guarding the list. I too, have a
poem about the dugite. I did a study on WA animals which I have since put in
my poetry, apparantly (although I've only seen them at the Perth Zoo, the
dugite (pronounced jewgite for others) is found only in this state, esp. in
the metropolitan area and on Rottnest Island. They grow to 2 metres, inflict
a dangerous bite and are extremely venomous. They shelter in holes in the
ground or in hollow logs. They are dormant through the cold winter but
become very active in spring when they mate. In summer dugites are active at
night. (Sounds familiar with the human species).
Cheers
HH
Dugite Mother
Pseudonaja affinis
I must hurry
not just hasten
rocks move
I make a wide berth
she smells me
defenseless
you can't force bravery
in bush gardens
of molested mice
snake holes are venomous reasons
to hasten
my own season
ends
and begins
when she defends
20 eggs
a haystack of dugites
eat through spring
she may attack
poison muscle
but I wait for her speed
when it comes
brown in travel
mother's practice
leaves -
defenseless
I hasten
>From: Graeme Miles <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
> poetics <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: bios, poems, and poetics
>Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 01:40:42 +0000
>
>Dear Glen,
>
>Thanks for your comments on the poems. Glad you liked them. I'll have a
>look for John Boyle O'Reilly's poem.
>
>It hadn't occurred to me when posting the first one that a reference to
>dugites may be a bit esoteric for those outside Western Australia.
>
>Cheers,
>Graeme
>
>>From: Glen Phillips <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
>> poetics <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: bios, poems, and poetics
>>Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 17:01:55 +0800
>>
>>Dear Graeme
>>I must compliment you on the poems you posted. One of the first poets of
>>any
>>renown
>>to write about the snakes of Western Australia was John Boyle O'Reilly,
>>one
>>of
>>the Irish Fenians
>>transported from Dartmouth prison to WA in the late 1860s. He later
>>achieved
>>fame in the USA
>>as an Irish patriot and organised the escape of other Fenians from Perth.
>>He
>>used 'dukite' for
>>'dugite' but the poem is quite interesting, though I prefer yours on the
>>basis
>>of personal
>>experience. Your other poem has some adventurous syntactic and imagic
>>leaps.
>>Glen Phillips
>>
>
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