Poem

Wilderness

by Brendan Ryan •

December 2008–January 2009, no. 307

Poem

Wilderness

by Brendan Ryan •

December 2008–January 2009, no. 307

Past the final service station
into the green beyond of paddocks
soon to be carved up, quartered,
then watched over by streetlights.
In the post-work haze, nostalgia reigns:
lonely crossroads, abandoned weatherboards,
paddocks stretching down to the sea.
The involved stares of other drivers –
resolute, familiar, alone.
The busyness of the day explaining itself
yet like a student in an afternoon class
I’m toey, doubtful – was I too hard?

Brendan Ryan

Brendan Ryan grew up on a dairy farm at Panmure in Victoria. His poetry, reviews, and essays have been published in literary journals and newspapers. He has had poems published in The Best Australian Poems series (Black Inc). His second collection of poetry, A Paddock in his Head, was shortlisted for the 2008 ACT Poetry Prize. His most recent collection of poetry, Travelling Through the Family (Hunter Publishers), was published in 2012 and was shortlisted for the 2014 Victorian Premier’s Awards. He lives in Geelong, where he teaches English at a secondary college.