Trailorpark
by Graham Catt
(Live Through This, Hole 1994)
her mom is too drunk to drive her to school
-- slumped in the arms of her latest boyfriend
so Sally spends the morning playing with her sister's makeup
paints foundation over the bruise of last night's beating
later, she'll take her favourite doll for a walk
along the track towards the old cannery
to the rusted shack where the Brady boys share cigarettes
and Mr. Wilson was caught with the girl from trailer eight
as her name begins to ricochet about the valley
Sally clutches the doll to her chest, remembers the time
her uncle took her fishing in the mountains beyond Yakima
where the trees were taller than buildings, and the water ran swift and clear
Graham Catt is a South Australian writer of poetry, short stories and children's fiction. His work has been published in numerous magazines and journals around Australia including
The Weekend Australian, Quadrant, Famous Reporter,
LiNQ, The Canberra Times and Verandah. He has also been widely
published on the World Wide Web in such e-zines as
Disquieting Muses (US), Limestone Magazine (UK), The 2River View (US),
Southern Ocean Review (NZ) and Carve Magazine (US). His recent publications are
Shooting Stars (poetry; Ginninderra Press 2001, and Blue: Friendly Street 27 (poetry anthology; co-edited with K*m Mann; Wakefield Press 2003).
|
|
