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Poem: The Boulevard

A walk along Adelaide’s cultural boulevard, North Terrace, is the inspiration for this week’s Poet’s Corner contribution from Phil Saunders.

Jan 15, 2020, updated Jan 15, 2020

The Boulevard

(I really should get out more)

Out from the bowels of the station, opened 1856,
this short spring journey commencing at a steady pace
past the House of the People,
across the tarmac
to greet the Colonial Trooper on his horse,
and The Boulevard itself,
looking prim and proper like an Adelaide of old.
The yellow and green and purple of nature;
Dame Roma on a chair;
A jumble of scooters at rest
and the bus stops a little out of place;
Venere di Canova on a plinth erected 1892
to an outcry over a lack of clothing;
An avenue of heads,
Bragg, Florey, Napier, Lee and Oliphant,
coupled with a row of metal tiles,
to celebrate and acknowledge services to the people;
Matthew Flinders looking afar,
a little contemplatively perhaps;
A water fountain for refreshment,
and a toilet or two for relief;
The unfortunately limp national flag
on this warm still day, not able to salute;
The new Adelaide arising in the distance,
its crane a symbol of progress of sorts;
A gaudy traffic hire sign
almost unreadable in the bright spring light;
And the Memorial To The Fallen
as a fitting bookend for the Trooper.
Thence to my rendezvous
in the Institute Building of 1861,
with the Centre for Democracy within
and the King without.
But that’s for another time.

There were people, of course,
the history tour of elderly persuasion,
the camera toting tourist couple,
the young woman reading at the foot of the explorer;
And myself.

Phil Saunders has been based in Adelaide since high school days, with forays into Melbourne, Christchurch and Sydney. He works as a consultant in governance and operations quality control, particularly in aged and disability care, has written for advertising agencies and community-based organisations, and with poetry as a creative outlet has had work performed on ABC Radio.

Readers’ original and unpublished poems of up to 40 lines can be emailed, with postal address, to [email protected]. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments. A poetry book will be awarded to each accepted contributor.
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