Poetry

Table of Contents

Jennifer Compton

The anthology of Australian Women’s Poetry

fell quickly, according to the Introduction, into

the twelve sections. That you see here. There.

I was reading like a herbivore, eating pages.

 

Nature and Icons and Pregnancy and Birth.

Infancy, Sons & Daughters, Daily Grind, Loss.

Old Wives’ Tales, Mothers & Grandmothers,

The World and This Last Retreat. All neat.

 

I raised my head from the handsome book

and stared into the big whatwasmissing.

Where were the Fathers & Brothers?

Where were the Husbands & Lovers?

 

Where were those good looking bastards who

have had their way with me time and again?

Where was the delicious catastrophe of Men?