Anathema
Through the convex security screen
is the solid, pink columned façade of investment properties
jutting balconies with views of bricks & drain pipes & bitumen
rented by low paid day care workers, security guards, bar attendants-
there is a constant thrash & rumble of vehicles
dark, low ceilings, broken door knobs, plastic pine flooring.
To shake off the impending sense of dread I anoint myself
with the latest in modern conveniences: BI-LO Skin Repair Cream,
cockroach baits, burglar alarm…& further up the road stroll past
acres of mall space & ducted air conditioning snaking up walls
alongside kebab & pizza joints & smiling security guards & tables of
redundant products- a salesman with mike & an audience of one… me…
crooning with reassuring tones of amazing bargains never to be repeated…
It is in this scene this space at 3 AM
in which the kookaburra erupts-
projecting its long splintering
disorientated cackle-
echoing through the dark, narrow laneways
of the apartment complex.
'Anathema' (2003) was written after a visit to Mount Druitt in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. First published in Red Fez. Our consumer society continues to amaze and disgust me. Is this the best we can achieve? One of a series of five poems. Yes, the morning kookaburra cackle did pierce the air.
No comments:
Post a Comment