No Books for You
They told me I could not write about widowhood.
I was not a woman
They told me I could not write about dead aboriginal girls.
I needed their permission
They told me I could not write about Australian society.
I might offend LGBTQI
They told me I could not write about global news media.
There was no such thing
I wait for them to tell me I can’t write about being white, 70 and a man.
There is such a thing, I will trigger a hurt, I don’t need permission.
No-one can tell me otherwise.
Richard Stanton
Picture of You
I look for a picture
among the detritus of a thousand years
sifting
in vain
Memory is not enough
to sustain desire
although
truth is, desire like
lust
has folded
into the iron-grey sky
of my autumn afternoon
Richard Stanton