Three Poems, by Michael Mintrom

Coastal Settlement, by Jan Senbergs, 2008 © Jan Senbergs/Copyright Agency, 2019. Image courtesy the artist and Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia.

​Living in Nature

We cling tight to these cliffs,
turbulent tides below. 
Driving the ocean road,
we look out for Antarctica.

Breezes lash shrubs and trees.
We shelter among roots,
branches. But nothing holds
against the winds, the waves.

City, Heat and the Fires, by Jan Senbergs, 2014 © Jan Senbergs/Copyright Agency, 2019. Image courtesy the artist and Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia.

When the Fire Raged, the City Buckled Skywards

All February, the fire circled.
There was a drought, no water left.
The Country Fire Authority 
gave updates, advised we stay calm.

When the big wind blew,
the city didn’t burn,
it buckled to become a huge eucalyptus.
Punt Road still had too much traffic.
​

Carpal, by Jan Senbergs, 2017 © Jan Senbergs/Copyright Agency, 2019. Image courtesy the artist and Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Australia.

In Search of the Divine

Carl Jung documented dreams 
where a big hand 
reaches from the sky
just when the dreamer needs it.

Many saw a hand appear
half the size of the city.
It didn’t strike them as a divine presence.
It was acutely disturbing.

Michael Mintrom

Michael Mintrom lives in Melbourne, Australia. He has published poetry in Australian and New Zealand literary journals including Landfall, Meniscus, Quadrant, and Sport. His recent poetry sequence, “Box Set for the Rolling Stones” can be found on the open access website of Literary Yard.