That's me and poet Miles Merril at the Australia day challenge: to break the world record for the world's largest poem. No, not longest (that perhaps goes to some epic poem, like Ulysses). Physically, the largest. An attempt to be about 5meters x 4meters long and erected on large wooden slabs, sharpie provided the pens and we provided the poet-power.
It's an interesting experience, being in a foriegn country for a celebration like this one. It gives me an obvious sense of being a foriegner, especially when the topic of the poem is "what does it mean to you to be australian?" But perhaps it's not the question, but rather the answers that were most interesting from a third-party perspective.
People's answers ranged from your typical "love everyone love the world love the beach" answers, to angry "massive revolution, hate the system rebel rebel!". But we're poets. We like art. We don't edit or censor.
Just like the way i celebrated an alternative thanksgiving with native peoples, I celebrated an alternative australia day, with indigenous and "white" australians alike. It was a little bizzarre for me, especially because I don't understand much of the context of the aboriginal oppression. All I think is, from my ignorant American perspective, it seems that Australia is following in America's footsteps, as far as cultural genocide is concerned.
And for as bizarre the experience, it was also beautiful, even for an person as ignorant as I am about the situation. It was a display of the most diversity I've seen in Australia thus far. And everyone seemed to be getting along just fine.
The answer that stuck with me the most was provided by the most unexpected source. A quiet older woman with a big floppy hat approched me and said "well, I have a line, and you tell me if it's appropriate", and after I agreed she said "We love the sun, we love the sunburnt land, but we have no love for the sunburnt people."
Something to think about.
No comments:
Post a Comment