Published 22 December 2008 · Main Posts mary: a poem Maxine Beneba Clarke boxing day comes quiet a child was born in bethlehem beneath a star but a childhood died wise men brought frankincense & gold for a babe who had not opened his eyes didn/t gather that brown girl in their arms & whisper hush my darling it/s okay to cry you are not alone tonight a scared girl carried a god/s fire in her belly without a choice watched a young man / she raised as her own murdered on a cross & crowned with thorns on boxing day i think about mary © Maxine Clarke, 2008 Maxine Beneba Clarke Maxine Beneba Clarke is an Australian author and slam poet of Afro- Caribbean descent. Her short fiction collection Foreign Soil won the 2015 ABIA Award for Best Literary Fiction and the 2015 Indie Award for Best Debut Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Stella Prize. Her memoir, The Hate Race, her poetry collection Carrying the World, and her first children’s book, The Patchwork Bike, will be published by Hachette in late 2016. More by Maxine Beneba Clarke › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 8 May 202611 May 2026 · Nakata Brophy Prize The 2026 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers (Poetry) Editorial Team Please follow this link to enter the prize. Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 […] 6 May 20266 May 2026 · Main Posts Join the Overland Board Editorial Team Overland is looking for a Treasurer to join the board. If you care about literary culture, have governance experience and a head for finance, please consider applying. Expressions of Interest […]
