Paul Williamson
is an Australian poet who has published on a broad range of topics in numerous magazines and e-zines in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Japan and the UK.
Collections Along the Forest Corridor A Hint of Eden Ties to Red Hill Edge of Southern Bright To the Spice Islands The DNA Bookshelf Moments from Red Hill
Availability Along the Forest Corridor, A Hint of Eden and Edge of Southern Bright are available via the Ginninderra Press web site. Copies of the books can also be obtained from the Book Cow Bookshop, Kingston or on Amazon Kindle. Moments from Red Hill and Ties to Red Hill can be found via redhillregenerators.org.au. Botanical Bookshop ACT has Along the Forest Corridor and Ties to Red Hill.
Some poems
A Hint of Eden
At the coastal edge south of Batemans Bay Humpback whales feed and breech in Springtime as fishing fleets work cobalt depths filling stores and markets with technicolour catches and oyster farms stretch on light turquoise near mangrove flats and sandy bays. In Summer, storms send racing yachts limping to port and grind beaches from rock faces.
Onshore below the misty escarpment clothed with bush near Moruya, Bodalla, Narooma and Bermagui dairy herds gift cream for cheese beef cattle fatten, sheep give wool log-laden trucks rattle the highway. artists work and diversely create hippies sell in startling colour retirees and Centrelink customers settle seaside as tourism firms the towns.
The Yuin Nation Salt Water people remain but not now in cool-fired hunting landscapes. Now Summer brings hot blazes to eucalypts crowded by casuarinas, vines and wattle. Yet in the early autumn after the summer tourist frenzy the coastal strip still conjures thoughts of Eden.
Published in Quadrant
Near the Edge
Above the road is a rusted sheet iron stable with a horse outside; an image from past scattered farms near where iron stained clay banks stretched Sydney’s water supply piped from a century ago. Father worked a stint there.
On the downhill side market stalls crowd the double drive-in theatre normally vacant in daylight. Antiques are sold, trash and treasure, pets and greasy food, within surfing music from an ageing band.
Polite people slowly trawl technicolour alleys. Spanish speaking South Americans offer jewellery; a too-thin man sells cassettes; families of heavy islanders scan for bargains;
slender African youths flaunt jaunty masking walks while an old man and woman show horror-hinting faces; Muslim fathers herd sons, all in white robes while up the road the English theme pub draws another crowd.
Published in Quadrant
at a moment when my eyes long to drift seeking leafy hues city lights surround
Published in Ribbons (US)
Starlight
The noise is curious I am drawn to look to ghost through the garden in early morning night with no moon or electric light with no clouds or factory haze.
Constellations are bright across the acrylic sky. Above the horizon a red star hovers like a sentry while night shines half-day from starlight.
I have seen this sky before above a country river.
Published in Magic Cat (UK)
Contact: paul@paulwilliamson.net
Copyright: Poems on this website can be copied for private use but not for any other purpose without permission of the author. This is required by copyright law.
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