15 December 2014

Events in Sydney

For some reason, a poem of Les Murray I encountered recently popped into my head when I heard news of the siege in a cafe in Martin Place in Sydney.
The word goes round Repins,
the murmur goes round Lorenzinis,
at Tattersalls, men look up from sheets of numbers,
the Stock Exchange scribblers forget the chalk in their hands
and men with bread in their pockets leave the Greek Club:
There's a fellow crying in Martin Place. They can't stop him. 
The traffic in George Street is banked up for half a mile
and drained of motion. The crowds are edgy with talk
and more crowds come hurrying....
It's worth going and visiting the page for this poem on Les Murray's website. There you will find a recording of the poet reading the poem.

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