The night I honeymooned with Brisbane
she took me around like a sweetheart to meet the family.
We came upon places where McLennan had had her
before me. We passed Jacaranda trees gathering dusk
and she was friendly with old drunks and buskers.
When we passed City Hall, she reminisced about
Roy Orbison and The Rolling Stones, the night
they made love by the roar of trams, sparks flying
at the folds of her cotton dress. The night I saw her
for the first time, I saw she was a good girl – something
to fall in love with – fond of the young boys who’d stuck
by her; wild sons of a sort who’d go on to elegise her
claim their corruption by her. And quietly, all over
the world, her men return to that first night. Like schoolboys
stealing mangoes under perfect skies, they remember
with affection, the tough romance of their first bite.
Tough Love
Filed under poetry
love love love this poem.
just an aside- in the small French town where i live, the local library has just about the whole collection of The Go Betweens and Grant McLennan and Robert Forster. it’s nice, but it’s a mystery…
Thank you so much… The Go-Betweens are so much a part of my childhood. It’s like their music scores the landscape.
“like schoolboys stealing mangoes under perfect skies”
Oh that is so lovely and any songwriter would be proud of it, perfect fusion of the rhythm and the melody. And the whole thing is a fantastically real and affectionate (somewhat) portrait. And so sad, Rock ‘n Roll George passed away today and this reminded me off him. So, sense of place as well.
Thanks Paul. I have just been over with the mighty Sheish Money doing some recording and this one went down really well… Real sad about Rock ‘n’ Roll George. He will remain an icon…
these words fit the subject so well
Thank you!
You do a good Brisbane Poem Graham – as I have said before
Thanks Gabe… this city has been good to me.
Brisbane is lucky to have you capture it, I felt at perfect ease floating through your streets.
Thanks Mark. I feel lucky to be walking the streets of this great city and even luckier that there are good people out there coming along for the ride.
Like Gabrielle said, you do a fine Brisbane poem!
“she took me around like a sweetheart to meet the family” and the sparks & cotton, & the mangoes!wow indeed!
This city is definitely a sweetheart!
too good.
sends my emotions and experiences tagging after your words, if that makes sense.
Thanks Therese… glad this took you on a walk with me.
Hi Graham,
my name is Miriam and I’m a german singer/songwriter touring along the East Coast of Australia. I got your name of Deb who I met at an open mic in Sydney and she said, that you might know places In Brisbane, where I could perform.
I didn’t have an e-mail address of you so I contact you through your blog.
It would be great to hear from you!
cheers,
Miriam
“…Jacaranda trees…. cotton dress… stealing mangoes”
home!!! a lovely feeling!!!
lol, preaching to the converted, amirite
just throwing my hazaah into the ring
very elegant, seduced the memory “she was a good girl ” liked the promise of where Brisbane is going
http://black-listedmagazine.blogspot.com/2009/11/cyber-fuck-by-coral-carter.html
Hi Graham
I met you Perth Poetry Festival…read a poem which referred to One From None Rollins at the Court (PPC).
Just a note to let you know I had one published in Black Listed. My first online publication so I am showing off a little!
Cheers
Coral
Nice to hear from you and congrats Coral!
real affection here, Graham. and a hint of the complexity of love-grown-up.
i know her differently, but recognise her here.
Thanks Bruce… I have a lot of love for her.
I absolutely adore the images this poem places romantically into my head, gently and far away, flawless flow and that city is love, its apogee, and the reader is the satellite that is all-seeing, invisible. I’ll walk across the world to see this city of yours, I will.
It is an incredibly beautiful city… am glad i could capture it for you.