I was drunk I was sitting in the sand I was thinking about the past my children my country the mines I was drunk and I was not careful not thinking barely awake in the close to midday sun the sun the country the fires my loved ones I was crying at some point but a man shouldn’t cry I was just drunk and singing I threw the bottle at a car at a house at a window I was miserable but it was good to throw the bottle the glass shattered the glass made a noise I wanted to set something on fire but no I wouldn’t I wouldn’t do it to my country my country which is nothing like it used to be I was drunk that’s all I wasn’t harming anybody I was having a good time by myself everyone left me I used the last twenty dollar I had to buy myself a bottle just one I saved the rest for later I had forethoughts I thought of the future unlike what they say I think I do think about the future anyway the day was getting on I saw some kangaroos crossing the road they went for the lawn life is easy for them if they hang around towns there are grasses I was thirsty I went to the drinking fountain it was out of order so I went for the bottle though it didn’t quench my thirst I roamed about singing I was thinking I was thinking about the deaths and suicides amongst our peoples I was feeling sad I was feeling bad for them I was drinking to buy myself an hour a minute of peace I was drinking because it was the only way but sometimes I get angry I get angry and start throwing bricks I am so miserable I throw bricks at those white flash houses fancy courtyards the church I was sleeping against a tree when they came and got me they handcuffed me and threw me into the back of a white van the sun was high the sun was high I was riding it was getting hot in there I banged on the sides I banged on the hot white steel let me out let me out let me out I hollered and the white fellas kept cursing and I kept cursing and the sun was getting higher and I was getting higher and I flew at the walls I flew at the prison I built for myself I banged my chest against it I banged my head against it and then it all got so much I couldn’t breathe I couldn’t holler no more I kept roasting and roasting in the heat I kept turning and turning on the floor I got tossed back and forth like a tennis ball I sweated I stank I asked for something to drink blood on my head blood on the floor blood flooding my eyes I thought about the color of the sand how I would have loved to dig my body into the coolness underneath and I kept dreaming and dreaming until suddenly I stopped and I was where I wanted to be in the sand and in the earth in the trees and in the leaves in the winds and in the sun dancing with the elements with the spirits with those that came before me with the whole universe and I was simple and I was clean and I was happy and I was happy
and I was happy
- 115: SPACE
with A Sometimes
114: NO THEME 13
with J Toledo & C Tse
113: INVISIBLE WALLS
with A Walker & D Disney
112: TREAT
with T Dearborn
111: BABY
with S Deo & L Ferney
110: POP!
with Z Frost & B Jessen
109: NO THEME 12
with C Maling & N Rhook
108: DEDICATION
with L Patterson & L Garcia-Dolnik
107: LIMINAL
with B Li
106: OPEN
with C Lowe & J Langdon
105: NO THEME 11
with E Grills & E Stewart
104: KIN
with E Shiosaki
103: AMBLE
with E Gomez and S Gory
102: GAME
with R Green and J Maxwell
101: NO THEME 10
with J Kinsella and J Leanne
100: BROWNFACE
with W S Dunn
99: SINGAPORE
with J Ip and A Pang
97 & 98: PROPAGANDA
with M Breeze and S Groth
96: NO THEME IX
with M Gill and J Thayil
95: EARTH
with M Takolander
94: BAYT
with Z Hashem Beck
93: PEACH
with L Van, G Mouratidis, L Toong
92: NO THEME VIII
with C Gaskin
91: MONSTER
with N Curnow
90: AFRICAN DIASPORA
with S Umar
89: DOMESTIC
with N Harkin
88: TRANSQUEER
with S Barnes and Q Eades
87: DIFFICULT
with O Schwartz & H Isemonger
86: NO THEME VII
with L Gorton
85: PHILIPPINES
with Mookie L and S Lua
84: SUBURBIA
with L Brown and N O'Reilly
83: MATHEMATICS
with F Hile
82: LAND
with J Stuart and J Gibian
81: NEW CARIBBEAN
with V Lucien
80: NO THEME VI
with J Beveridge
57.1: EKPHRASTIC
with C Atherton and P Hetherington
57: CONFESSION
with K Glastonbury
56: EXPLODE
with D Disney
55.1: DALIT / INDIGENOUS
with M Chakraborty and K MacCarter
55: FUTURE MACHINES
with Bella Li
54: NO THEME V
with F Wright and O Sakr
53.0: THE END
with P Brown
52.0: TOIL
with C Jenkins
51.1: UMAMI
with L Davies and Lifted Brow
51.0: TRANSTASMAN
with B Cassidy
50.0: NO THEME IV
with J Tranter
49.1: A BRITISH / IRISH
with M Hall and S Seita
49.0: OBSOLETE
with T Ryan
48.1: CANADA
with K MacCarter and S Rhodes
48.0: CONSTRAINT
with C Wakeling
47.0: COLLABORATION
with L Armand and H Lambert
46.1: MELBOURNE
with M Farrell
46.0: NO THEME III
with F Plunkett
45.0: SILENCE
with J Owen
44.0: GONDWANALAND
with D Motion
43.1: PUMPKIN
with K MacCarter
43.0: MASQUE
with A Vickery
42.0: NO THEME II
with G Ryan
41.1: RATBAGGERY
with D Hose
41.0: TRANSPACIFIC
with J Rowe and M Nardone
40.1: INDONESIA
with K MacCarter
40.0: INTERLOCUTOR
with L Hart
39.1: GIBBERBIRD
with S Gory
39.0: JACKPOT!
with S Wagan Watson
38.0: SYDNEY
with A Lorange
37.1: NEBRASKA
with S Whalen
37.0: NO THEME!
with A Wearne
36.0: ELECTRONICA
with J Jones