Kevin Gilbert's "Inside Black Australia" is still in print (Penguin, "at
all good bookstores"). It's edited and introduced (riveting
introduction) by Gilbert, and contains a good selection of his
poetry, along with poems by Bobbi Sykes (!), Mudrooroo (!!), Ernie
Dingo (!!!), Hyllus Maris, Jack Davis, Archie Weller, Daisy
Utemorrah and many others..
Incidentally, UQP (University of Queensland Press) has just
published a collection of poetry by the winner of the Unaipon prize
for unpublished Aboriginal writers. It's Samuel Wagan Watson's
"Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight". Watson's a Murri. His stuff
is very sophisticated and complex, dancing through a lot of
sub/cultures and sensibilities, with a great deal of bitterness and
anger (surprise) and some fairly unusual takes on what he's
observing.
Here's a taste. Maybe not his best poem, but since it's Spring
Racing time. . . .
labelled
the doctors probed
while I persisted stamping my hooves
on the cold floor of the locked ward
"Mr Watson . . . you don't eat grass!"
"Crap!" I flared.
hooves tap, clop, tok, tap . . .
"Molassas, salt tablets. Now!" I snarled.
"Mr Watson . . . why these antics?!"
"Let me out of here . . . I'm a winner . . . I have a Cup to win!"
"Mr Watson . . . you're not a race horse . . . you're a human being!"
Oh yeah?
all my life I've been under some kind of label --
full blood?
half blood . . .
half breed!
and even questioned about being
a quadroon
well
with magnificent bloodlines like that
I decided
I must be a goddamned pedigree of some sort!
--------------------------
(My own favourite of his, so far, refers to dreamtime Dostoyevskys.)
QUP is distributed by Penguin, so you can probably ask at those
same good bookstores.
Sandy
> The Canberra Times
> Letters
> 13/10/2000
>
> Another poet we shouldn't ignore
>
> A POETS' memorial in Glebe Park what a great idea! (Robert
> Macklin's column, October 6, p.3). However, I am saddened by the
> omission of one name from the list nominated by Geoff Page, although
> the five he nominated are indeed worthy of recognition. Perhaps the
> following extract from one of his poems will revive the memory of this
> great writer and poet:
> I am a poet
> after all
> you do know me
> in all your humanness
> I have lived your moments
> we know ourselves, confess
> and hold me close and deeper
> hold me warm and tight
> for we are poets together
> we embrace each day and night
> we are immortal talk to me.
> One of his greatest poems was his own epitaph. His name? Kevin
> Gilbert!
>
> D. J. ELPHICK
> Page
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sandy Sanders
Wormhole Books
27A Main Street
Upwey VIC 3158
ph/fax 61 (03) 9754 5440
www.wormhole.com.au
WORMHOLE BOOKS science/fiction and beyond . . . .
www.wormhole.com.au
------------------------------------------------------
RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at
http://www.mail-archive.com/
To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body
of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce
This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission
from the
copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under
the "fair
use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further
without
permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
RecOzNet2 is archived for members @
http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
