Issue 39 - 40, September 2006 A u s t r a l i a n H u m a n i t i e s R e v i e w

mound spring

by Miriel Lenore

© all rights reserved

after a moonscape of salty overflows
the Bubbler's raised pool
evokes the waters of Elysium

five youngsters from a uranium protest
nose rings spiky haircuts & a top hat
dip their toes in the warm water

gas bubbles rise
with the slow pulse of jellyfish
to elongate before they burst

sediments lift to a raging circle:
the giant snake killed by the Arabunna
writhes in its death throes

in silence we watch the pool clear
wait for the next eruption
from the suffering underworld

pity the monsters (Lowell said):
those portents of disaster
that transgress borders  frighten us so we kill

the youngsters will return to their protest
the serpent continue to suffer
and will I continue to watch?

 

Miriel Lenore is an Adelaide poet whose work deals with the interrelation of people and places
from the UK, Nullarbor, Western Desert, Kakadu to Adelaide's Linear Park and Botanic Garden.

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