Friday, December 12, 2008

Constrained abandon: summer's palette

Suburban Sonnet
She practises a fugue, though it can matter
to no one now if she plays well or not.
Beside her on the floor two children chatter,
then scream and fight. She hushes them. A pot
boils over. As she rushes to the stove
too late, a wave of nausea overpowers
subject and counter-subject. Zest and love
drain out with soapy water as she scours
the crusted milk. Her veins ache. Once she played
for Rubinstein, who yawned. The children caper
round a sprung mousetrap where a mouse lies dead.
When the soft corpse won't move they seem afraid.
She comforts them; and wraps it in a paper
featuring: Tasty dishes from stale bread.

by Gwen Harwood, Tasmania, 1968

6 comments:

Virginia said...

Gorgeous photos today. It's bare and brown here. THese warm my soul. Merci.
V

Unknown said...

Such beautiful and balanced sets of photos! Excellent work, Julie!

Z said...

The text has me all depressed: easy for you as you're in the midst (or thereabouts) of summer while we endure cold, dark nights.

Reply to your query (tiny extract from the reply I wrote on my blog): Lumix FZ7.

Ann said...

So that's the tree, it does look similar. I think there are quite a few different varieties. Very pretty spot.

Joan Elizabeth said...

The agapanthus are just coming out in my garden and the neighbour's jacaranda is in full bloom ... yes things do happen quite a bit later up here.

A very powerful poem.

Julie said...

Golly, indeed, yes! The jacaranda is all finished down here but the agapanthus is still going strong although the hydrangea is a bit singed and wilting.

The poem is a corker isn't it? Those 50 yo women from the 70s sure struggled with the concept of "superwoman".