Anonymous Premonition

By Yvette Holt

From an authentic, powerful indigenous voice comes this body of poetry that examines issues of identity and culture from a woman's point of view. Lyrical yet radical, uplifting yet uncompromising, this collection evokes pride, painful memories, the realities of Aboriginal life and death, and the power of sisterhood to act as a tribute to the resiliency of Aboriginal women everywhere.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of Queensland Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780702250590

Book preview

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4077

Ballroom Romancing

It was the late 1960s

Outside Hicksville county

In western Queensland

A clash of two cultures

The original sin

Town folks would whisper

A settler’s gin

Workmates would remind him

And town folks would ignore her

They were always going to make it

But at the time

They just didn’t know how

An exceptional couple

Desperately in love

Nothing was going to stop them

Shooting stars at the Saturday night dance

They moved like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

So eloquent on their feet

From a small country town to the bright city lights

Together they shifted a universe

The Grandest Final

As a little girl growing up

I always wanted to play football

And for that any excuse would do

Rugby league was the name of the game

There wasn’t a soccer ball

Or a VFL ball in sight

Cricket begrudgingly outlasted the summer

And tin garbage bins

Came in handy for street wickets

It was never a clash of the genders

Because only the boys were playing footy

On our block

Girls were usually relegated

To footy as a spectator’s sport

Quickly advancing to

annoying footpath hecklers

The boys would be at it

Hogging the afternoon’s tranquillity

With thunderous tackles

And skilful ankle taps

Their quick sprints up the gravelled driveway

Sounded like the clap of a dozen Phar Laps

Galloping along the side fence

Eventually teams were lining the backyard

Oh how I longed to kick that pig skin

High above the roof

Then grab it with an acrobatic catch

Showing off

my love of the sport

Yep those were the days

When backyard footy was playful

Exciting and twice as unpredictable

My brothers played for St Marks

They were shining stars on the field

But I suppose every kid sister

Sees their big brothers

As gladiatorial football heroes

Every Saturday or Sunday

We sat there watching them

Mum and Dad were as proud as punch

We never missed a match

I remember when Alan’s division

Won the under 12s grand final in 1977

By that stage I wanted my own

Pair of footy boots and knee-high socks to match

Victory was ours

After that I became the real Calamity Jane

In between chopping up my doll’s clothes

And painting my toenails

With bright red bingo markers

I wanted to be just like those footy players

That came wrapped inside shiny collectible cards

And when you opened the packet

They smelt like raspberry bubblegum

Posing with their team mates

I thought about being the ball girl

For my family, volunteering my time

Handing out