sketch of the early days of a fall

 

sketch of the early days of a fall

the fall began when an acknowledgement of Country was misused at my regular poetry reading in Fitzroy & I alone spoke out against it duting the interval.

a fortnight later I met a lovely old Fitzroy battler who shared the afternoon with me before coming to the poetry reading with me, before they left fearing the inevitable judgement of hipsters against Naarm's underclass, a good percentage of whom are Indigenous.

next was the sight of a stranger sitting alone in a skull & crossbone bandana where blakfella have sit ever since whenever outside 7/11.

a week later i met a blakfella mate near my home in Calton who'd slept rough outside the aforesaid 7/11 who seemed very distressed.

the next day I walked to the 7/11 corner & loudly reminded him & the tourists there about on which Country they stood.

I walked back home emotional & recovered by listening to Archie's Charcoal Lane record quietly that night on my small bluetooth speaker. There was a knock at the door. It was the Police come about an anonymous noise complaint. They couldn't hear anything & when I told the officer which singer I was listening to, he smiled.

next a fortnight later I was grabbed in a submission for my verbal anxiety-enthusiastic cheering for other poets hold by the organiser of the poetry reading to...

People on the street threatening me to keep my mouth shut!

bumpy ride

too many unnecessary tangles

as Shakespeare says "on horror's head horrors accumulate" ...

trying to move on & step out of the worst of living in fear which is self consciousness...

Published & Copyright Malachi Doyle 2026.