Russell

My near-final version of this poem. Points of contention - the beginning three lines (Craig David?), the repetition (which started boring even me as I read it out in class, but people said they liked it) and the final line... which used to be completely different.

We met on Monday,
sat together on Tuesday,
became best friends on Wednesday.
You liked my pictures. I liked your glasses.
You asked if I was a virgin. I laughed but did not know.
You lent me ten cents. I never paid you back.

Three years later, you moved to New South Wales.
I grew up. I was good at music, bad at sports.
I liked Backstreet Boys, hated Year 5 boys.
I almost forgot you
until one day I saw a man that looked like
he could have been Adult You.

Now I wonder all kinds of things:
Were you good in school?
Did you get beat up for growing pimples?
Did you get beat up for being a cane toad?
Did you get beat up by unrequited love?

What kind of sharp are you?
The shot you use at Duntroon
the magnum you use on bikies
or the wit you use for mischief?
Do you wear contact lenses now, an ankle monitor,
or the burden of your dead father’s debts?

But most of all I wonder
if that had been you
outside Queens Plaza,
wearing black wayfarers,
drinking a Starbucks.
I wonder if you made it that far.

Unity!

For Tom A, Claire B, Hubby, Emma G (model extraordinaire), Nick-Nick, Sean L, Maureen M and Travis the Australian (and only other participant in THE STEALING GAME). This is draft 2.0.

20 years since it all changed
Thanks Schabowski
Hallo Gorby hallo Helmut
National guilt? None tonight!
It’s half 20
Equal goes it loose
Shot of Jäger?
Yes please
We’ll start in the Sparkasse
A teller wearing feathers
A Pilsener a pretzel a Pilsener a pash
Let loose! Consider me loose-let
Wide-eyed and loose-tongued
I can’t say the alphabet
backwards in German
Infinity in the Hbf–
how did we end up here?
Shot of Jäger?
Yes please
If you put her on
the S-Bahn at least
give her €20
Limes, so many limes
in my bag
Glad I took German
Glad the Wall came down.

Chile

Inspired by a poem about Peru in our set text, and embarrassed by the crap second poem that I submitted to my tute group for workshopping (never to be shown here, that's for sure), I wrote most of this on my iPhone on the way to work. Then I played around with it while oh-so-busy at work (WINK) and here is my poem on Chile. To be honest I wanted to write about Peru or Argentina but I'm pretty happy with this effort and maybe I can still do Peru and Argentina and put it together in a suite. I should probably follow the same format then shouldn't I. Food for thought re: impending portfolio...

The carefree end of our intrepid quest
where we played Where on Earth is Carmen Santiago
We wandered the urban sprawl
wary of pickpockets
and a depleted travel fund

The Colonel was the same in this city
where they are half a million strong
We settled into our final low-fund loft
Nicanor Parra covered the reception walls
and Nico covered the reception phone

The Cerro San Cristobal
where the funicular jostled us sky high
We watched as coloured cable cars
swayed at the Virgin's feet
and thrilled mini Santiaguinos

The Chilean clubbing scene
where I helped crown the prince
We slurred our silly Spanglish
I'll take you to the Atacama, he promised,
and marry you under the stars

The cursed journey home
where fourteen felt like forty
We smuggled in the dulce de leche
We bid each other goodbye
and promised we'd do it again

At work, I wasn't too happy with my final two lines, though I still can't think of a better alternative. Then on the bus ride home I did a bit of a read-through and felt that in my first line I said the end was carefree, but then go on the describe how I'm worried about crime and a lack of money. Hmm. Suggestions? I'd like to stick with a /k/-sounding C...