This is a goofball book that tells the particular history of a particular time in Australia. It’s a great example of a book that didn’t need to be poetry. The poems are an abomination, but the details that are locked up inside the stilted iambic pentameter are totally worthwhile. Why do people feel compelled to jam their thoughts into awful poems? Just get it down! Ignore form!
The cover photo is of a grown man (looks an awful lot like John from Cincinnati) looking out over a childhood stream. Worth the price ($4) for the heart note taped to the title page. Chock full of other nature images.
Good thing about the book– lays out some details about a youth spent in what appears to be a commune in Australia. Includes the history of racial strife near a burnt bridge and description of chasing "bush prawns", which is apparently a difficult task.
A Childhood on the Wongo: A Past Reflection in Verse of a Childhood on the ‘Wonga’ , the Ancient Aboriginal Dreaming Place Along the Yarra, by Chris Adnam, is currently going for $18 over at Biblio. More from the Poetry Collection here.