COVID-19 – Page 3 – The Consolations of Writing

In Our Father’s House

I wrote this poem yesterday for the third installment in a series of videos about being a neighbour. As I wrote, I was contemplating the prospect of my Melbourne suburb being the next to go into lockdown. Little did I know that today the whole city would be put back into lockdown. So I’m postingContinue reading “In Our Father’s House”

Letter to my children – a quarantine preview

I’m looking forward to sharing a number of videos of poems from my upcoming book Les Feuilles Mortes in the coming weeks, including several from my friends and readers across the world. Here is the first, a letter written in quarantine to my young children.

From “Autumn Leaves: Tanka for Isolation”

My twin boys turn onewithin our garden’s walled world,learn to navigateand negotiate space asleaves fall in entrancing swirls. This poem comes from my upcoming collection “Les Feuilles Mortes”. Stay tuned for more information about the launch, or contact me to join the mailing list.

My new book needs you

Meanwhile, here’s a preview.

Autumn Leaves: Tanka for Isolation No.1

Palm Sunday

We cut banana leaf from our backyard and dressthe table with these fronds for a king.Day is overcast; spirit drizzles withthe quiet acedia of another quarantined day.No procession today, on this or any street;only hearts can fling wide their gates.Yet heart has always been best, been the mostfitting place to worship this king,temples prone toContinue reading “Palm Sunday”

Love in the Time of Corona

At the shops and in the street,We look at faces, look at feet,Breathing quickly as we pass,Lest the germs should get to us.Seeking family on a screen,Craving you and us and we.What will each tomorrow bring?(Can we handle one more thing?)In this and each new instance,Can we love, safe from a distance?

Other Ways to Practise Resurrection, Or, How to Beat a Pandemic: After Wendell Berry

When others horde, share. When others sneeze, do not be startled. When the numbers rise, take heart. For your life is more than your days on earth and your planet is more than a virus. When the shops are packed with people and the shelves are emptied of products, do not push and shove andContinue reading “Other Ways to Practise Resurrection, Or, How to Beat a Pandemic: After Wendell Berry”

With (Lent 17)

Coronavirus, with OCD

Wash your hands; don’t touch your face. Did I wash my hands, and did I touch my face after? Before? Don’t be afraid but be aware. Wash your hands; don’t touch your face. These sightless microbes swim in air. Your nose is dripping. Touch your face. Wash your hands. Don’t be afraid. It all mayContinue reading “Coronavirus, with OCD”