Poem: Construction is about to begin

Construction is about to begin

On the land across the road,

tall fences have been erected

to keep intruders out,

though we can see through them.

The surveyors have assessed

the lie of the land; unduly flat.

Trees have been felled.

Soon we will lose our view

of the city and the sea beyond.

What are we about to lose?

“What we have already lost,”

the sanguine builder replies.

And the blue-tongued lizards hide.

They came at me

Wagging fingers

berating me

for something I had done

or had failed to do

or more likely for being me

I wagged back and barked

a tail and dog at one.

Living in Adelaide, Matt Gaughwin is a retired public health medical practitioner and Adelaide University Associate Professor, who continues with his PhD-based interests in the behavioural ecology of Australian wombats. Also a writer of poetry for many years, he has been able to further devote his time to such, since retiring from medical practice and joining Adelaide’s Friendly Street Poets. His first collection of poems, Thoughts of Dedushka, was jointly selected for Friendly Street’s New Poets 26 anthology, published and launched in October last year.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.

Photo: Pexels / Bruno Kraler