back from outback

Hello one and all.

We had a wonderous time in the outback. Sadly returned earlier than expected as my girlfriend's son was killed in a motor bike accident in Mulgrave. Very harrowing and the funeral was today.

However on to coast lines. I think we may have a new member who will be joining us next meeting. I have spoken to him and he sounds very interesting.

Meanwhile Geoffrey I think your poem is wonderful with the revised editing. It cuts right to the bone. If you have some hesitancy with the poem, I have some idea that it might be in the lines beginning with 'they have their place....' What if you went straight from this without the lines about the atlas and tourists to where you again mention their place where there names will fade. I have tried to do some editing on the blog as to what I mean. So maybe my poor skills will work or maybe when we have our meeting we can discuss it. However the poem still stands as strong and powerful and maybe it is best left alone.

The program which may be of interest to you poets is the La Mama Poetica: Voiceprints which will be at La Mama Theatre 205 Faraday Street Carlton. It is described as a program of immersive performances by poets and sound poets who have their mark by striking out alone against prevailing trends.

I am going on Sunday 14 October at 2.30 pm. Tickets are reasonably priced. So why not join me? La Mama number is 9347 6142 or Ticketmaster 1300 136 166.

I did see the show Dickens Women with Miriam Margoyles was as Tina Turner sings 'Simply the Best'. If you get a chance it is a compelling performance.

Will be away next week in Beechworth doing some soul refuelling. Riding on the rail trails. So until then happy writing. Incidentally have not been writing mostly in the doing, feeling and adventuring right now.

Cecilia

Aliens Revisited

I've re -worked Aliens, from the last meeting and it would be very helpful to me if I could have your comments. Have I improved it ? I'm really not sure. I'm reasonably happy with the first four sections but I'm still struggling with the rest. I've included the original version for comparison
Thanks.

Geoffrey

ALIENS (revised)

Do not trust them:

they will whisper that they are the same as you,

will beg your love.

But do not trust them:

secretly, they desire what you already have.

Do not trust them:

See their impure, tinted skins

And their dark, misshapen eyes!

Beware their outlandish clothes,

shut your ears to the harsh music of their speech,

deny their savage gods.

They have their place in this wide world:

on some unseen page in the atlas,

in cities lost in the gazetteer

beginning with Z or X,

where no tourists prance and click

or roll lustily on warm sands.

Places where eyes do not meet,

and scrawled names fade

on the walls of silent, bloodied cells.

Thrust them back -

better that their bones roll in the wash of our surf.

As for those who, against all odds,

Arrive wide – eyed and smiling on our shore -

seal their lips with barbed wire.

ALIENS (original version)

Do not trust them:

they will whisper that they are the same as you,

will beg your love.

But do not trust them:

secretly, they desire what you already have.

Do not trust them:

See their impure, tinted skins

And their dark, misshapen eyes!

Beware their outlandish clothes,

shut your ears to the harsh music of their speech,

deny their savage gods.

They have a place in this wide world, oh yes,

on some unseen page in the atlas,

in cities lost in the gazetteer

beginning with Z or X;

places where no tourists prance and click

or roll lustily on warm sands.

Places where shit and blood hang heavy in the air,

where testicles are crushed in cold, stone cells.

Send them back.

Here we want no other truth than that

Which reaches us in waves invisible, minute

Stripped of bone, flesh and blood

safe signals of reality, nothing more.

We desire no history to haunt our present

Save the myths glimmering on our screens.

As for those who, against all odds,

Arrive wide – eyed and smiling on our shore -

seal their lips with barbed wire.

Better their bones roll in the wash of our surf,

better they had never lived.

congratulations

Suzanne, great to hear that you have had two rooku's accepted - congratulations! at this rate we'll need a Coastliner's carriage!