Memorial to the last Aborigine, Mount Nelson
Joggers flap along the bush
flitflit past the open eggy eye of stone
to be fit for something
up their
hardwon
impotented
parky
eucalyptic
hill.
Battery Point Houses, Hobart
The smart look out to sea
from what high beauties may be wrought
and bought
of corrugated iron and wood
which are many
set thus to see
in private witness
men at play
upon immensities.
Queenborough Memorial to Charles Eagle, Knight, of Uppington, Rutland, died Hobart 1893, aged 67
Did he babble
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| John Gallas's latest book is 52 Euros, an A-Z of 52 European poets, male and female, re-poemed. |
of Uppingtown
or Uppinghome,
and sadly see
golden fields of hay
and manor’d Shires
flibbling far away,
like me,
or consign
with sweet content
his Knightly lights
to this rawer continent,
like mine.
When the Tasman Bridge was closed : a backward step
When the mighty bridge got broke
we rowed two years to work
across the bloody Derwent,
made campfires on the Wunda-Weeve
and daubed charging marsupials
along the office walls.
Huon Valley Famous Comet Apples
Along the Huon Valley lie
long hillocked orchard-fields
awave with netted blossom.
From here, sometimes,
when days of higher sun
have primed their bustyluscious fruit
and darkness comes,
WHAM ! an apple
shoots into the southern stars,
trailing stripes of juice,
its brilliant
exportation.
Rowing Team on the Black Tide
Slipping down,
sleight and swift of scull,
the tea-black river
First School Four
bulge by
in their white history vests
the weird torn gumtrees
fading then upon deep dark
and the even tide.
Looking into a bluegum forest
We
falleth fast
and flesh as brief
as grass
drive past
the bluegum spread
and cast
the best of us
that is
our thought
into their keeping
for rescue’s sake
whose careless chemistry
is not our easy army.
Ascent of Mount Wellington by bike in a snowstorm
Oh John
I may be getting on
but I do Adventure still
it is really just a matter of will.
Point yourself
in the right direction continue
with the occasional stop
and you will reach the top.
Port Arthur Prison : the meaning of convict tattoos
O Lennid’s gorra tattoo on is arm
so when ee wipes is arse its ups ahoy
an when ee picks is nose its snot amen
there aint no Ope in shit an angels maam
but keep yer bugle neat an tidy boy
yer might see Ammersmiff an Ome again.
The Transportation of William Wester, 1823, from here
William Wester
came from Leicester
ploughs and shears
40 years
for Buggery
same as me !
Words and images copyright © John Gallas, 2013
John Gallas was born in 1950 in Wellington, New Zealand. He came to England in 1971 to study Old Icelandic at Oxford, and stayed. He has worked for many years as a teacher with the Leicestershire Behaviour Support Team. He has published ten collections of poetry with Carcanet Press and edited the anthology of world poetry, Song Atlas (2002). Swims like a fish, cycles like a windmill.
The Carcanet Blog Sale
Every fortnight on the blog, we offer 25% off a Carcanet title, or titles by a particular author or group of authors.
For the next two weeks, we're giving you 25% off 52 Euros, the latest book by John Gallas. All books come with 10% off at www.carcanet.co.uk, so to claim your 25% discount just go to the website and use the offer code BLOG (case-sensitive) at the checkout. Happy reading!