Red Shawl Flapping
By Nathan Curnow
Published 1 January 2021
there are not enough flowers and the wolves close in
the baby wakes in an empty house
a splash upon the doorstep and a red shawl flapping
but nobody heard the shot
strands upon the spade that remains unhidden
a plot of earth beneath the pines
the moon comes chanting at the broken gate
the rope puzzles remain unsolved
cicadas sizzling above a war of wheat
sparrows revel in the dirt-bath dust
a television turning the milk upon the bench
toward a slow bold hunter’s nose
and the baby the chanting a red shawl flapping
on the grim slack whip of the line
a racket of carriages passing in the distance
everything gets dragged outside
This poem was part of a longer suite titled 'endtime'.
In 2010, Red Room Poetry began a collaboration with Australian Theatre for Young People.
The project consisted of a series of workshops between contemporary Australian poets and the young actors involved with ATYP, teaching them about poetry, how to read it and how to recite it. It was an intense, intimate process in which the actors spent time one-on-one with the poets, sharing insights about the writing and performing process.
The first day of workshops involved Ballarat poet Nathan Curnow and Blue Mountains-based poet Craig Billingham. The project was fruitful for both parties. The students from ATYP received a unique insight into the business of writing and reading poetry, while the poets gained a unique insight into their work, hearing it read in a new context, by new voices. Both Nathan and Craig have given enthusiastic feedback, excited by the opportunity to relate to their work in a new way.