Category Archives: Australia

✩ 99. Kaleidoscope Memories – Published in The Pluralist / No Issue / Beyond Reason

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One cannot help but bear-witness to pandemic storm-clouds-of-contagion, earthquake, volcano, fire, flood and landslide

Ubiquitously sweeping, shaking, erupting, raging, surging, far-and-wide

While many of the world’s leaders profess ‘geo-thermal-fracking-as-usual’ with heads buried-deep in dunes-of-denial

And so, in the face of multiple-global-crises, one is forced to shop elsewhere for spiritual gnoses and emotional renewal

Further afield than the aisles of neon-lit supermarket-dreams and dot-com same-day-deliveries

Further afield than high-brow department-store life-style fantasies

Laid out like scenes from the silver-screen in elaborate window-displays and glossy magazines

Further than the online prime-time trailer, box-set, binge-watch seduction

Plethora’s-of-perfectly-packaged-illusions to provide temporary-alleviation

From the overwhelming threat of global-annihilation

From sexist-racist, elitist-ageist denigration

Or from rust-riddled-regrets on constant-rotation

Mourning the ghosts of narrowly-missed, sugar-coated ships-of-desire that set-sail long-ago

Or impossible-to-forget childhood-traumas, bereavements, divorces, augmenting serial-self-love-deficit-disorders

Inescapable neuroses, seared into one’s psyche, branded like slaves-to-key-frame-memories

Leaving a trail-of-distorted, aborted-destinies behind in their wake

Yet another empty-void, full-of-emotional gaping-holes to fill as the planet is systematically plundered and destroyed

By the addictive machine-of-consumerism, where ecological-sustainability and wellbeing is wilfully-sacrificed

With nothing left, except the bitter-aftertaste of a forfeit-future…

This is how we welcome 130-million new-born ‘kidults’ into the world every-year, weaned upon html and social-media

Whose childhood-innocence and genetic-lineages were surgically-removed at birth

Stolen by neo-narcissists ‘neath smog-filled skies, where bright-futures turned grey

Dumbed-down by smart-technology and antidepressants

And yet, in-spite-of-all-this, some intrinsic built-in desire to seek-out and search for truth-and-authenticity, persists

Sends out its call like a beacon, calling upon every human-soul to awaken, to activate one’s innate inner-knowing, like a homing-device

Beckons to journey far-beyond the comfort and safety of objects, or co-dependent relationships

To look past the emotional barbed-wire snags-and-grazes of parental/ professional/ romantic/ societal lies and betrayal

Or the nettle’s-sting of missed-opportunity

In lieu of moving-forwards, towards new desires-satisfied, and revised goals-fulfilled, collectively

For nothing stays-the-same and ‘change’ is always the one, true, ever-quickening-constant

Henceforth, it is in the ‘unspoken-moments’ where humanity happens

Where one quietly pieces-together water-colour-poems, sifted and fathomed from kaleidoscope-memories

Dreaming in silent smoky-swirls and mirror-gleam sunbeams

Peeling off rose-candy-coloured gels from the lids of one’s eyes

Like fleshy onion-skin layers of reflective-introspection

As one wakes from the lucid-dream-state with the revelatory-understanding

That in a vibrational-universe-of-Energy, every thought and feeling is eternal and therefore accountable

As non-physical energy can never die, nor expire, it can only change form

Transformed by an awareness of one’s perennial-vibrational-offering

Atonement through candour and a willingness to upgrade one’s most-frequent-point-of-focus

As an integral requisite of self-care, a daily-practice

By virtue of LOVE, whether for self, others, or Source

Is still the purest-form-of-energy in the Multiverse. ✩

© i-P Ltd 2022

30. Land of the Dreamtime

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Review of Land of the Dreamtime (Sunday 12th / Monday 13th November 2000)

This poem beautifully captures the liminal space between night and day, earth and sky, past and future—a transformative moment experienced while flying high above the world. The opening line immediately places the reader in a timeless and almost magical moment of transition:

“Sunday, or is it Monday?
A magical alchemical moment
At 36,500 feet”
The ambiguity of time here mirrors the fluidity of consciousness during a flight, a space where earthly concerns momentarily dissolve.

The poem evokes a strong sensory and emotional connection to Australia, described as a place of spiritual awakening and homecoming:

“As soon as we approached the tip of Australia
Somehow I knew, without knowing
Except that I felt it
She welcomed me
With a silent electric storm”
The personification of Australia as a welcoming, almost sentient entity sets the tone of reverence and intimacy. The “silent electric storm” is a striking image—a paradox of power and calm, mystery and illumination.

Vivid visual imagery draws the reader into the aerial view:

“A most spectacular aerial view
Looking down upon the flashes and flares
Lighting the clouds below from inside
Illuminating their contours and form
As if they were hollow”
This is a moment of awe and wonder, a celestial perspective that expands beyond the physical journey into the metaphysical. The clouds “illuminated from inside” evoke a sense of inner light and spiritual illumination.

The transition to daylight acts as a metaphor for renewed hope and possibility:

“At last, daylight!
Glowing subtly over the edges of the Earth
Mesmerised by the unfolding scene”
The “edges of the Earth” phrase evokes the feeling of entering a new phase or realm, a fresh beginning.

The poem then reflects on Australia as a “magical process of creative visualisation / And dreaming,” emphasizing the power of intention and hope in shaping reality. The poet identifies as a dreamer, finding resonance in the “Land of the Dreamtime,” a term rich with Indigenous Australian cultural significance that evokes ancient spiritual stories and connection to the land.

The symbolic journey “Following the yellow brick road / To the Sagittarius heartlands” blends personal mythology with archetypal imagery, suggesting a quest for wholeness, purpose, and connection with the sacred feminine:

“In search of wholeness and connection
With the Great Mother, Nature
With the land, the ocean, the sky
The untamed presence of big country”
Here, the natural world becomes both the destination and the guide, embodying a spiritual path and inner calling.

Conclusion

Land of the Dreamtime is a luminous meditation on journeying—physical, emotional, and spiritual. It blends the wonder of travel with a deep yearning for belonging and connection to the land and to self. The poet’s use of vivid natural imagery and mythic symbolism creates a rich tapestry of feeling, inviting readers to contemplate their own inner callings and the magic of returning home, in whatever form that may take.

29. Portal of Opportunity

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Review of Portal of Opportunity (Sunday 8th October 2000)

Portal of Opportunity captures a poignant emotional moment in the poet’s life—a liminal space between past efforts and future possibilities, between places, identities, and inner desires. It’s a raw, honest reflection on restlessness, longing, and the bittersweet tension of change.

The poem opens with a paradox:

“Had a really great night
In fact it was so great
I felt thoroughly miserable”

This juxtaposition immediately conveys the complexity of human experience—the interplay of joy and melancholy, fulfillment and loss. The speaker is caught in a moment where something wonderful exists, yet the imminent departure from it casts a shadow:

“At the prospect of having to leave it all behind
And go to Australia, damn!”

This abrupt “damn!” carries a tone of frustration and resistance, emphasizing the emotional weight of leaving a place and life that finally feels right.

The poem reveals a recurring cycle of ambition and displacement:

“Just as it starts to get good here
I put the time in, turn everything around
And then I don’t stick around long enough
To reap the rewards of all my hard work”

This confession of restlessness is deeply relatable. The poet recognizes a pattern of moving on too soon, of chasing “greener pastures,” which ironically means not fully harvesting the fruits of past efforts. This sense of impermanence and unfinished business permeates the piece.

The relationship with London is personified beautifully:

“But London doesn’t want to let me go
And she has lured me to stay behind before”

London becomes almost a seductive force—both a place of distraction and a binding influence. The poet’s yearning for Australia, the “original dream,” stands in contrast to the seductive pull of familiar surroundings, illustrating the inner tug-of-war between comfort and aspiration.

A central motif of the poem is the idea of the “portal” or “window of opportunity”:

“Momentary portal of transformation
Which if stepped through
Irreversibly transforms the course of one’s life”

This image of a fleeting gateway to profound change is compelling. The poet mourns a missed chance in the past, but holds onto hope that “now I believe is here again / Another momentary portal of opportunity / A second chance.” The language here conveys both urgency and possibility, reminding readers that life often offers multiple chances to shift course.

The final lines reveal the speaker’s emotional and physical context—“deeply ensconced in London living,” feeling the weight of the “treadmill of survival” and the dreariness of “cold, and the rain / And the miserable London grey.” This grounding in sensory detail heightens the poem’s sense of confinement and longing for freedom.

Stylistically, the poem’s free verse form and conversational tone create intimacy and immediacy, inviting readers into the poet’s internal dialogue. The lack of punctuation and enjambment mirrors the flow of restless thoughts and emotional turbulence.

Conclusion

Portal of Opportunity is a deeply personal meditation on change, missed chances, and the cyclical nature of hope and hesitation. The poet’s honest vulnerability and vivid imagery make this a compelling exploration of how we grapple with transitions—both geographic and spiritual—and the elusive nature of timing in our lives. It’s a reminder that opportunities often return, even when we least expect them, and that transformation is always within reach if we are willing to step through the portal.

12. Australian Legacy

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Australia Legacy is a lyrical and deeply personal reflection on displacement, transformation, and the enduring imprint of place upon the self. Through its meditative tone and evocative imagery, the poem charts an inner landscape shaped by contrast—between belonging and alienation, between memory and present reality, between the self before and after a pivotal journey.

The poem opens with a decisive line: “The window of opportunity closed behind me / When I left London for Australia.” It introduces a tone of quiet finality and signals a turning point not only in geography, but in identity. This is not simply a poem about travel—it is a poem about metamorphosis. The speaker returns from Australia changed, internally expanded, only to find that the external world has remained static and unaccommodating: “Now I’m back and nothing here has changed / Only me, on the inside.”

This contrast—between inner growth and outer familiarity—forms the emotional tension at the heart of the poem. The speaker’s sense of estrangement from London is articulated with understated melancholy: “I feel less like I belong here than before.” Yet this dissonance is not framed as a failure, but as evidence of evolution. The emotional centre of gravity shifts toward Australia, which is evoked not as a distant place, but as an intrinsic presence—“in my blood / My bones / My breath.” These lines are delivered with rhythmic conviction, echoing the physicality of the connection, and building to the powerful affirmation: “You are my soul / Within and without.”

The language is intimate and unadorned, yet rich in feeling. The poem’s structure—a single flowing stanza without punctuation—mirrors the stream of consciousness through which memory and present experience blend. This fluid form allows the reader to move with the speaker through reflections on place, self, and longing, without interruption or pause. There is a natural rhythm that builds steadily from nostalgia to a gentle resolve.

The poem reaches a quiet crescendo in its final lines, shifting from inward reflection to an outward gesture of encouragement. The speaker’s internal affirmation becomes a message of resilience and inspiration: “Do not let this world crush your spirit / Endeavour to shine.” These lines transcend the autobiographical and speak universally to anyone who has felt displaced, dimmed, or disconnected. The metaphor that follows—“Don’t let the London grey / Stick to your butterfly wings”—is vivid and delicate, contrasting the dull weight of conformity with the fragile brilliance of individual spirit. The image of “iridescence” in the final line is especially resonant, suggesting an innate beauty that shifts and reveals itself only in the right light.

In conclusion, Australia Legacy is a heartfelt and finely tuned meditation on identity, belonging, and inner transformation. The poet succeeds in capturing the intangible yet profound ways in which place can shape selfhood, and how returning home can sometimes mean confronting the limits of familiarity. Through spare, evocative language and a deeply personal voice, the poem honours both the loss and the legacy of becoming oneself in a new landscape.