This poem is a powerful reminder of the inevitability of death and the importance of being prepared for it.
…O Sultan!
Because I dare to approach your deaf walls,
because I tried to reveal my sadness and
tribulation,
I was beaten with my shoes…
In this poem, Judith Wright explores the sufferings of the indigenous Australians at the hands of colonialists.
‘This was Mr Bleaney’s room. He stayed
The whole time he was at the Bodies, till
They moved him.’
Pardon me, not tragic, as you said just now.
Unfortunate is the word, terribly unfortunate…
“ki hogyi hain kitni shaamen,
aur kitni shaamen guzren gi
kab ayegi tabdeeli ki shaam…”
The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
…Then practice losing farther, losing faster
Axes
After whose stroke the wood rings,
And the echoes!
Echoes traveling
Off from the center like horses…