That's a bit koalaist
L
----- Original Message -----
From: "Poetryetc: poetry and poetics"
To:
Cc:
Sent:Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:54:18 +1100
Subject:Re: 'Historical Geography'
I liked tumult, tumble, tunnel. Max. If the final four lines are
excised, you wouldn't finish on koala would you? Perhaps the kayaker,
the torrent rider, is needed, in some form at least.
On 17/10/2012, at 10:22 PM, Max Richards wrote:
> Historical Geography
> [Warrandyte, near Melbourne]
>
> Below us the Yarra swerves right -
> down-stream from where Andersons Creek,
>
> famed an age ago for its gold-rush,*
> joins it - swerves to make 'Pound Bend' -
>
> letting part of its water divert
> left into a rock-face tunnel
>
> while the river curves back
> to almost meet itself.
>
> Clamber down the steep track
> to where the tunnel mouth gapes.
>
> I'm moving stiffly on rocks
> where once I'd spring and bound
>
> exhilarated by the torrent.
> Its tumult is strong today,
>
> renewed by spring rains.
> I've no spring left in me.
>
> Exhilarated soberly now,
> I watch speeding brown waters
>
> tumble and fan out subsiding
> into the river they're rejoining.
>
> Why the tunnel? ** that was
> gold fever too - empty
>
> the riverbend bed, clean up
> all the gold waiting there!
>
> They say it didn't pay the bills
> for engineering, explosives,
>
> and long hard labour.
> Everyone moved on.
>
> Some miners' cottages remain,
> a picnic ground, tall gums,
>
> newish suburban houses.
> Where the pound-keeper long
>
> minded stray farm-beasts, was
> returned to wombats and koalas.
>
> That young man kayaking
> boldly through the rapids
>
> could have been me -
> half an age ago.***
>
> October 2012
>
> *1861
> **1870
> ***1968
>
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