He catches rabbits
in the paddock
with spotlights.
He catches frightened
sand coloured luckless
bundles, quivers of musk.
He catches them alive
with his hands. I thrive
on this, complex and complete,
like Australian heat.
He makes our den
with the foxes. We rest
with eyes alert
like spinifex, like silent red dirt.
Editor: Andrew M. Bell
Marisa Cappetta won the 2011 Hagley Writers' Institute of Christchurch Margaret Mahy prize. Marisa's poetry has been published in anthologies, e-zines and journals including Crest to Crest, Takahe, InterlitQ, Enamel, Voiceprints 3, Snorkel, Blackmail Press, Turbine and Landfall. She is the recipient of a NZSA mentorship, and is on the boards of the Canterbury Poets Collective and Takahe magazine.
I first heard Marisa reading her poetry at a Canterbury Poets Collective reading when the readings enjoyed a warm and cosy home at the Madras Bookshop and Cafe, sadly now replaced by a bustling Cafe sans bookshop. I've heard her read a couple of times since, most recently at the WomanSpeak event at the Pallet Pavilion in central Christchurch. Her work is always a joy to listen to, drawing, as it often does, on her rich ancestral heritage.
"Sonnet for a Hunter" holds a special appeal since I lived in Western Australia for eight years. The images speak to me. I must confess that I don't entirely understand the poem, but I enjoy the ambiguity. Is the "he" of the poem a man or an animal? Does it matter? The couplet "sand coloured luckless/bundles, quivers of musk" is a striking image of a helpless ensnared rabbit and the final line locates it succinctly in the arid landscape of inland Australia.
You can read more of Marisa's poetry at http://marisacappetta.com
"Sonnet for a Hunter" is published on Tuesday Poem with permission.
For lots of other wonderful poetry, go to the blog roll of our Tuesday Poets. This week's editor Andrew M. Bell is Christchurch poet who also writes screenplays, fiction and non-fiction. His work has been published in NZ, Australia, Israel, US and the UK. You can find his poems here.
Editor: Andrew M. Bell
I first heard Marisa reading her poetry at a Canterbury Poets Collective reading when the readings enjoyed a warm and cosy home at the Madras Bookshop and Cafe, sadly now replaced by a bustling Cafe sans bookshop. I've heard her read a couple of times since, most recently at the WomanSpeak event at the Pallet Pavilion in central Christchurch. Her work is always a joy to listen to, drawing, as it often does, on her rich ancestral heritage.
"Sonnet for a Hunter" holds a special appeal since I lived in Western Australia for eight years. The images speak to me. I must confess that I don't entirely understand the poem, but I enjoy the ambiguity. Is the "he" of the poem a man or an animal? Does it matter? The couplet "sand coloured luckless/bundles, quivers of musk" is a striking image of a helpless ensnared rabbit and the final line locates it succinctly in the arid landscape of inland Australia.
You can read more of Marisa's poetry at http://marisacappetta.com
"Sonnet for a Hunter" is published on Tuesday Poem with permission.
For lots of other wonderful poetry, go to the blog roll of our Tuesday Poets. This week's editor Andrew M. Bell is Christchurch poet who also writes screenplays, fiction and non-fiction. His work has been published in NZ, Australia, Israel, US and the UK. You can find his poems here.
7 comments:
There is beautify in the complex simplicity of the poem
An intriguing poem--thanks Andrew & Marisa. :)
I enjoyed the read very much. An attaching poem.
Simple and complex tithe same time. An evocative poem. Thanks Andrew for posting Marisa.
Great poem love how '- spinifex' is so perfect in the last line.
Love it. I confess I don't entirely understand it but the use of words and images is very powerful and immediate. Thanks.
A very interesting poem with a peculiar appeal. I enjoyed it.
Great choice Andrew. Thanks for sharing Marisa.
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