28th March 10pm
Some dates
are a shape,
this is one such date
where I see something –
days are curved
in circles and spirals
people are losing their jobs
the young, the old are becoming ill.
29th March 1045pm
You and I are just two people
we are here
there is no going out, no seeing
The world’s contracted thus
But smallness is neat,
it is haircutting and sweeping
calling family
and peering at phones,
counting statistics
window cleaning
and gardening.
30th March 1225pm
Half the world is closed
some think the Government is controlling us
and we are cheering them on.
We follow podcasts, hopeful
we listen to the radio
loudly.
1st April 945pm
The whole world is closed
and now we wait
in strange limbo
for the new warnings
and reports.
In the morning
I stand in the kitchen
weeping at the radio
there aren’t enough candles
to light
for Spain and Italy.
17th April 7pm
After days of quiet
I find a rhythm
cleaning the hidden parts of the house
where insects thought they were safe
I clean behind washing machine
I make piles for the op shop
for the tip
but boxes stay stacked
by the door.
20th April 1020pm
It is a warm night
fans turning
the dog settles out my window
a man yells far off
there’s often yelling
in distant snatches I miss.
The desert town is a memory of its past,
people knock on my door
asking for grog.
21st April 11pm
I’m attached to dark thoughts
I ignore the lack of tears
and am surprised
when they come.
But there are the small moments –
honeyeaters, a new leaf,
two pearl white eggs
of a feral pigeon,
things to look for –
things to focus on.
22nd April 1130pm
Too much Netflix:
Israeli security police drama,
a crazy tiger zoo,
the death toll rises
too quickly.
Little by little
my garden grows.
The world’s contracted thus from The Sunne Rising by John Donne
- 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