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Ross Donlon

I was born in Sydney in 1945 of (mostly) Irish ancestry. Wrote and published as a young man. Lived in New Guinea before travelling to the Far East, then through China and Russia to Europe, where I lived, mostly in Norway, for several years. Worked in Norway and Iceland before returning to Australia. Studied and came to Teaching. There was a long pause in my writing. The early work was mostly 'vague words for vague emotions'. I am enjoying the second budding. Published a little in Australia & New Zealand. Working on manuscripts and a PhD based on he myth of the Flying Dutchman. I read around the venues in Melbourne, a vibrant city for poetry.

the good father & his daughter kiss


they lean towards each other
as safe from folding
as a pyramid
yet fragile as the baby fist
she shook aloft like lightning
when he was the boat she sailed in
harbour to safe harbour
now he makes sure
hips don’t touch
hands are placed on shoulders
just so
and lips kiss
one centimetre left
of lips
then she turns
and flows into her mother
like a river

Gold


The Olympic Games were amazing fantastic unbelievable.
Sydney looked amazing fantastic unbelievable.
Individual performances were amazing fantastic unbelievable.
Team spirit was amazing fantastic unbelievable.
Organisation was amazing fantastic unbelievable.
There were numerous events at various venues all involving the human spirit and body being tested to the utmost & all were amazing fantastic unbelievable.
Competitors ran, swam, jumped, threw, rode or played in team sports & all were amazing, fantastic, unbelievable.
Dawn, Cathy, Betty, Kylie, Thorpie, Olivia & John, Nova, Jumping Jai, Tatiana, the Hockeyroos, Olyroos, the Channel Seven Team, Roy & H.G, Fatso the Fat Arsed Wombat, the Boxing Kangaroo & all the other little promotional animals, the host of other torch bearers, including community workers & employees of corporations who were part of the sponsorship team, Kevin Gosper & his daughter, Sophie & other members of SOCOG & their families were all amazing fantastic unbelievable.
Drug abuse and corruption were amazing fantastic unbelievable.
The track was a red brown colour with white stripes in an oval shape.
At one end additional straight white lines joined the shape and made it appear from above like an aboriginal cave painting, representing, perhaps a symbol of continuity or a spirit being with long hair.
The pool was a rectangle of blue with straight black lines running parallel along the length.
The swimmers wore black body suits that made them seem like leaves or shadows.
At the conclusion of events, competitors stood, held totems & gifts & received adulation & raised their arms to the sky
Sometimes the sky was blue & the sun shone brightly. Sometimes the sky was grey.
There was also cloud, rain & wind.
In some parts of Australia the sun, cloud, rain & wind were present in areas where the Olympic Games did not exist in any sense.
In some high rise apartment buildings, mid density or outer suburban dwellings, country towns or outack rural communities there were those for whom the Olympic Games did not exist in any sense.
Slowly warming, the Earth continued to spin through space during September.
Sometimes it was in darkness, laced only by the reflected light of the moon & stars.
At other times it glowed in its orbit around the sun.
Gold Gold Gold.
Amazing. Fantastic. Unbelievable.
©Ross Donlon 2002.

 

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Contact information

Rosscan be contacted at rpdonlon@netscape.net
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