Island Earth: New and Selected Poems 1971–2012

Circles......Page 13
A kamikaze pilot......Page 14
I buy a coconut from a woman......Page 15
Coming Home (from my Papuan holiday)......Page 16
Who would have ever thought......Page 17
Kiss the wind blowing from the sea......Page 18
Very Early Morning......Page 19
Darkness......Page 20
Their leaves become eyes......Page 21
3 a.m. Drive Home......Page 22
From A Bus Leaving Lithgow At Night......Page 23
The beautiful bird you......Page 24
With the jungle come the native......Page 25
Death stepped out of the television......Page 26
V......Page 27
VII......Page 28
And then one day, might ride the future......Page 29
The dog of the city’s luck, of fine coat & tail......Page 30
I stop at Bermagui & trying not to be obscure......Page 31
Alive, when the city of art, the world’s heart......Page 32
Like smack freak dried out on Jesus......Page 33
Wait, Frank the American civil engineer......Page 34
Just a cheap Indian fountain pen......Page 35
Infinite regression unwinds fast......Page 36
Oases covered deserts, suburbs died of fright......Page 37
To the Hall of Doors......Page 38
Paradise......Page 39
Bright clouds......Page 40
Living as we do in an age uncertain......Page 41
Standing tall......Page 42
A policeman’s guru......Page 43
The mass media entertain with the latest......Page 44
I’m making connections on a train......Page 45
Falling Rain......Page 46
The frontier spirit hardy enough to......Page 47
Good crazy men like Beppo......Page 48
Gliding among stars......Page 50
Like a walking footnote to amuse or......Page 51
In Sumatran cities transvestites caterwaul......Page 52
Whilst animist priests fill an earth station’s dish......Page 53
Atomic tanks along the Maginot Line......Page 54
I was entranced, the trance ended......Page 55
It’s a dog all right the nurse told you......Page 56
The view from a curling wave is more......Page 57
In this war the allergic are first......Page 58
A squadron of black cockatoos occupies the trees......Page 59
But one day the boot factory closed......Page 60
He starts a landslide shooting a......Page 61
Throwing a ladder on to a relief......Page 62
Around the world during a tea-break, guessed-at Indians......Page 63
But I wouldn’t be a mail sorter......Page 64
You begin describing your perceptions......Page 65
Siesta time when the breeding’s done......Page 66
The way out of sin goes through thunder......Page 67
The world holds its breath......Page 68
Climbing the Sky......Page 69
Cleanness returns.......Page 70
Trees sing, snakes sleep......Page 71
Austerity......Page 72
Who could care at all, drenched in dusk?......Page 73
And sure the awful world goes on, a glad......Page 74
Celtic flute......Page 75
Cowra’s Christmas beetles hibernate......Page 76
Words flame, rise from the sea &......Page 77
Borneo......Page 78
Multiple copies of the sentence......Page 79
Pegasus, old friend, on Earth again......Page 80
Up......Page 81
as the Emperor’s armies arrive,......Page 82
March winds blew summer away......Page 83
While electric lights......Page 84
Only drunkenness gives a damn......Page 85
Hi-tech weapons......Page 86
Near the moon there’s soldier......Page 87
Then one day Dad found the spider......Page 88
The empire spirit......Page 90
With this in mind, we can......Page 91
Today the science of apple divination......Page 92
The Pathetic Spectre of Extremism......Page 93
Spiders dance......Page 94
Mist diffuses head, tail......Page 95
Outlaws......Page 96
Red is blood’s colour......Page 97
The Aliens......Page 98
You wrote & made......Page 99
Prelude......Page 100
Mosquito......Page 101
From a cool balcony watch......Page 102
The owls fly into the bar......Page 103
In those days wars were sane......Page 104
Darling Downs......Page 105
There’s a cow in a vicious mood......Page 106
On the bus station platform......Page 107
There’s a sandstorm way out west......Page 108
Postcard (Sydney Girls)......Page 109
On the Concorde’s maiden flight......Page 110
Poems are really bouquets......Page 111
A mountain......Page 112
‘You don’t get off so easily,’ and......Page 113
Europa......Page 114
Up there with the lightning: laughter......Page 115
The man cannot......Page 116
A bicycle leaning against the wall......Page 117
three metre waves......Page 118
The jet flies in low over the bay......Page 119
Sun rising brings a chuckle from the boy’s......Page 120
This goes on, regular, for two and a half years......Page 121
Walk to the mountain through the forest of night......Page 122
Mind finally under control &......Page 123
Is it insane......Page 124
a typewriter in space......Page 125
House of Rats......Page 126
Pushkin the tortoise shell was no witch......Page 127
Once I met a blind cat called Freddy......Page 128
While the audience was intent on the lions......Page 129
The clowns return to get abused by the ring master......Page 130
Rats are disease......Page 131
It’s been a great year for news......Page 132
And the Minister for Business Funk......Page 133
Sugar Town......Page 134
Kafka Dog begins a Voyage to Realms Beyond......Page 135
History begins with a sketch by......Page 136
Kelpies are a one voice dog......Page 137
When the last tiger in the wild died......Page 138
On the Coorong claypans silver shimmerings......Page 139
White glow melts life......Page 140
All the tourist guides and pamphlets......Page 141
Song......Page 142
Carpet......Page 143
Fifty light years (ly) away is a planet......Page 144
There’s a Zaurian trader doing the Sirius overnight shuttle leaving in half......Page 145
Here’s a good one: the Crux excursion is......Page 146
Wherever you arrive,  send word on the sub-space......Page 147
Lost in the Bush......Page 148
The gods banned machines from ever......Page 149
The spies are all in love......Page 150
Apart from its voracious appetite for mammalian blood......Page 151
All night......Page 152
Country grew......Page 153
The river’s in my mind......Page 154
His son dazes around, comforted by friends......Page 155
The bar girls and young kids......Page 156
A world away from home but......Page 157
swallow headlights.......Page 158
The Terror of the Great Ocean Road......Page 159
What, freak into her?......Page 160
move on to live their own lives......Page 161
Hands up who’s willing to pay the price......Page 162
Life without a cigarette is like the sky without a star......Page 163
Almost facing the Malacca Straits, Medan is a city......Page 164
Along a track winding through rice fields, a boy......Page 165
Here, I learned first hand of the dreadful trade......Page 166
Thirty metre tall brass Buddha sits......Page 167
The souls of islands rise and volcanoes cry......Page 168
Burning off.  Dad hated it......Page 170
The best thing about New York City......Page 171
The houses are shaking, a tubercular......Page 172
Windows roar as the ice seeds......Page 173
So the free spirit changes gear......Page 174
Deep fried on buns with ketchup, lettuce and pickle......Page 175
Sprayer booms......Page 176
The gleam that is the planet Venus......Page 177
On the prairie or when he comes to town......Page 179
We are the trees’ destination......Page 180
The woman on trial......Page 181
Home Thoughts from Abroad......Page 182
The Magnificent Ambersons......Page 183
Bird Woman of the Dakotas......Page 184
Neighbour Hi-diddlie-ho......Page 185
She is fragrant beyond the earth......Page 186
Taking the microphone......Page 187
Unpoliceable haven, spine......Page 188
talks with his spirit-kin,......Page 189
In the High School assembly hall......Page 190
In the hall, market stalls overflow......Page 191
For the chemicals.  Copper sulphate......Page 192
Panting a machine-driven dog laugh......Page 194
Wolf eyes transport all over Los Angeles......Page 195
On a rock island in the rocking swell......Page 196
Thousand Star Hotel, Hanoi......Page 197
By the time the shadow boxers, slow motion......Page 198
Hanoi-by-night — the park cloaks love’s ardour......Page 199
‘When real luck calls you must answer,’ the park......Page 201
I’ll array my honey Lotus Blossom......Page 203
Earth, Sky, Chinese cigarette lighter......Page 204
I’m Popeye the Sailor......Page 205
Next, a boy puts down a chair......Page 206
Three elephants look old, old as planets......Page 207
The trapeze artists are wholesome......Page 208
Only the monkey-trainer is cruel......Page 209
Many hot-shots starting out......Page 211
We walk for a long time along a clay siding......Page 212
A bottle cannot read or listen......Page 213
Haiphong Iron Fortress......Page 215
Happy Viet Cong and their children......Page 216
Sunrise, she gathers the flowers......Page 217
After many years working on product......Page 218
Fred Stolle rides the Green Eagle home......Page 219
Wonderfully selfish thing being......Page 220
Empery O empery flourish in the moonlight......Page 221
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do......Page 222
To the Moon......Page 224
Rippled moon water laps the......Page 225
I, too, love the humanness of laminex......Page 226
The ultra-pinkness rises......Page 227
The queen with crown of kittens......Page 228
Snow graphs profit/loss......Page 230
Domination by the pace......Page 231
The South Coast on Television......Page 232
Heat haze......Page 233
Kitchens are the place......Page 235
Now in a room with two centipedes......Page 236
Feathers of wild birds......Page 237
King Cobra......Page 238
Extreme Orient......Page 239
Stalin, Hitler and Genghis Khan......Page 242
The Hopi theory of turtles holding......Page 243
Each bird call answering another......Page 244
Remember back in the early sixties......Page 245
From sunny Magpie Hill see......Page 246
A bend in the river, water’s clouded by green mud......Page 247
Segafredo zanetti umbrellas......Page 248
Who steers the thunderbolt?......Page 249
Neon Halo......Page 250
All the numbers on the houses......Page 252
They say Canberra’s a boring town......Page 253
The cars’ hearts hummed in the plush garage......Page 254
Clouds bring the news from where they’ve been......Page 255
Petrol head meets petrol head......Page 256
Fern dells & flannel......Page 257
Dusk, step out on a raw veranda......Page 258
A blood-stained shower curtain kind of love......Page 259
The wind plays upon Apollo’s lyre: drunk......Page 261
Welcome to the motel of life!......Page 262
Wind blows ice across wheat and rice......Page 263
The friends stepped quickly down a pebbled path......Page 264
The Story of Obatu......Page 266
Woo-hoo Homer Simpson is thinking......Page 267
By lunch time the nymphs have......Page 269
Say the words you thought......Page 270
It’s cool listening to Miles Davis\'s trumpet......Page 271
Machines were hungry......Page 272
‘The science of luck equals the pursuit......Page 273
Some never get beyond the Black Lion Hotel at New Quay......Page 274
Petrol station, motorway, restaurant, cottages.......Page 275
Juan’s parents made it ashore and found an island......Page 276
Shopping’s a way of life except for the bored......Page 277
Everything was warm, gratifying like making love......Page 278
Loved to charm houses full of women whose names like......Page 279
You’ve got to figure out what he’s doing to proceed......Page 280
XXIV......Page 281
XXVIII......Page 282
XXX......Page 283
Out back of the cafe a square iron cage......Page 284
Understand......Page 285
Feel wonderful the spirit thing......Page 286
And the old stars, lives spent in this universe......Page 287
Interrupt this Program (Liberty Lotus)......Page 288
Happiness to tend......Page 289
Dog tired deep into the morning......Page 290
Get down — brush and scrub......Page 291
South of reality’s days we are scorched......Page 292
Modern Problems......Page 293
A City......Page 294
Atop the suburb’s ‘mountain’, really a hill......Page 295
End of that Century......Page 296
Hanoi Girls......Page 298
Emotions, emotions, dripping......Page 300
Thousands of people flowed out of houses......Page 301
Her wide eyes narrowed and saw......Page 302
The suburban approach to a youth’s rite of passage......Page 303
Alas, fashion not style guides young hearts’......Page 304
But almost every kid’d march and run with a step......Page 305
Sick Kids......Page 306
Legends in their own minds they......Page 307
Sure, we’d have been stars......Page 308
Tourists In Lucknow......Page 309
The world’s worst nightmares had come true, man’s......Page 312
The family will sit together......Page 313
The Eagle......Page 314
Summer Post......Page 315
Any crazed fan will tell you......Page 316
The great car herd......Page 317
Drought lasted seven years......Page 318
Swoon bubble seizes being......Page 319
Rockets blaze the Sydney Harbour Bridge......Page 320
Some wizened old folks, playing with ipods......Page 321
Flowers......Page 322
al-Qaeda Bushfire......Page 324
Why trust anyone? Dreams and ideals......Page 325
Venom......Page 326
We will rush with brush & pan......Page 327
Twilight is mosquito time when a day’s deprecations......Page 328
A flare-up cleaves hearts, the killing words said......Page 329
In less than......Page 330
Processors hum and hard drives whirr......Page 331
Paint......Page 332
It was about the time......Page 333
the place gardeners might indulge......Page 334
The Firebirds......Page 335
The representative is visiting on Friday......Page 338
Paradise......Page 339
II......Page 340
Moon casts pale light through cloud......Page 341
Ground cracks, a waterhole’s......Page 342
She was good and kind and beautiful.......Page 343
hits & memories are mostly American these days......Page 344
Just about to knock off after a mission......Page 345
Seasons......Page 346
A City......Page 347
Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), Hanoi......Page 348
The Bond Poem......Page 350
Drusilla’s world......Page 353
Stupid Graffiti......Page 355
Post Gloom......Page 356
Boy......Page 357
Blue Day......Page 358
Bird Diary......Page 359