Catch 22
Three word slogans
won’t solve complex problems.
But apparently four words
might win an election:
BY BOAT, NO VISA.
This week in Sydney, magnolia blossoms
are rotting beneath magnolia trees.
In Russia, a whistle-blower has been
welcomed in from the cold. In our
newspapers, via correspondence,
imperatives have been handed down.
It makes me wonder: is the fact
that an island can amass out of bird shit
on coral somehow meant to be
a motivational narrative? That if we accrete
enough political fuckups, they’ll abracadabra
into valuable resources, one day to be
exploited? Don’t worry, guys, if the phosphate
runs out, we’re already practicing how to strip-
mine dignity…
When all seem prepared to filibuster
our trust,
tell me again,
kick which mob out?