A Suite of Poems by Audrey Molloy from 'Not My Leaf'

Below are a suite of poems commissioned from 2022 Red Room Poetry Fellowship Shortlist Poet Audrey Molloy from her project, 'Not My Leaf', an exploration of the lived-experience of the Irish diaspora in Australia, and what it means to really know a tree.

This series of poems, entitled Not My Leaf, is an exploration of aspects of the diasporic experience in Australia; specifically, what it means to really know a tree.

As an Irish emigrant living permanently in Australia, on Gadigal land, I believe my transnational experience of dislocation and restlessness, and my search for identity, are relatable to many other people of our diasporic communities, those who spent their childhood and formative years in regions far from this continent, and who never lost the early programming of their cultural heritage: flora and fauna, seasons and weather, music, food, traditions and rituals, languages, untranslatable words – everything that adds up to a sense of home.

While my writing showcases the natural beauty of my adopted home, the seams of my origins run just beneath the surface. There is a sense that ‘home’ is never fully realised in either place.