Poems: A World’s End Highway Suite
A South Australian road and its hills, coupled with childhood memories, are the inspiration for this week’s Poet’s Corner contribution from Rory Harris.
A World’s End Highway Suite
Mid North/Malleelands boundary, South Australia
I. Hallelujah Hills
A sunset
of shadows
across a range
of childhood
cousins bounce
on the back
of the flat tray top
they sealed the road
& banned steel-jawed rabbit traps
after we grew up.
II. Winter
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In the absence
of the mother
a girl, maybe
ten or eleven waits
under the dripping arch
of the classroom’s door
hands balled
into her parka’s pockets
warming them
for the teacher’s approach.
III. Garden
It took a few hours
one of those autumn
mornings a little wind
but a full sun unpacking all
that had rotted exposed
at the back of the garden
years of it, timber, firewood, stakes
& pots & the ferrying
of rubbish which wasn’t
at the time we begun it
but age & wear & weather made it so
that a few hours labour
of lift & carting & raking
over created a new patch
fresh with rotting leaves
& a spread of manure
to start again a promise.
Rory Harris has been a regular contributor to Poet’s Corner since its Independent Weekly print days. His poetry collections include ‘Over the Outrow’, ‘From the Residence’, ‘Snapshots From a Moving Train’, ‘16 Poems’, ‘Uncle Jack & Other Poems’,’ Waterline’, ‘Breeze’, ‘Songs’ and ‘Beach’. In 1990 Harris was a primary school headmaster in the Solomon Islands and during his stay he wrote radio plays which were translated into Solomon Island Pijin and broadcast on National Radio Solomon Islands. He currently tutors at R-9 Playford College in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.