The sound of heat,
a roar like a sawmill
hungry for wood
that day,
that forty-five degree day
(Black Saturday)
From confronting, but very real, explorations of the realities of bushfire, as above, to the silliness of passersby mistaking a milk tanker for party lights, this poetry collection captures the highs and lows of rural Australian life.
Award-winning poet Lorraine Marwood offers a collection that is very Australian, and which delights in its variety. What is common across the collection is the excellence which makes each poem give the reader pause to consider, to enjoy, to celebrate.
Spiders are made fascinating:
Knot
of spider
curled against the daylight
waiting for the moon
(Knot)
and cows, which feature prominently (as is to be expected in a rural-themed collection) play follow-the leader (Cow Tracks and Facts) and swing hips in joy of gourmet anticipation (They Buck Only for Oats).
In a classroom setting rural youngsters will delight in the familiarity of the subject matter, and the accuracy of its portrayal, whilst city kids will delight in the novelty of the images. In private, readers will enjoy dipping into the poems one at a time, or reading cover to cover.
A Ute Picnic and Other Australian Poems is an outstanding poetry collection from an outstanding poet.
A Ute Picnic and Other Australian Poems, by Lorraine Marwood
Walker Books, 2010
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