Published in Overland Issue 227 Winter 2017 · Uncategorized Crossing Galata, Istanbul John Upton Flying fish on Galata Bridge, rods bowing and bobbing like suppliants at a vizier’s audience. Each fisher has his own space program, launch pad, elbow room, bait bucket, like this sleeve-tugging city. I’m for the fish, somehow. Down there there’s piscine stitching of continents: Europe – Asia, ferries and fish restaurants. Crossing their sunshine I pass between poles of then and now, a fish caught in a rip of time, the zip of bait, the howl of hook in mouth, it flips me onto this bridge and off, too scrappy a catch, victim of cheap jet fuel and wanderlust. Image: Fly fishing tackle box next to stream / Chesapeake Bay Program Read the rest of Overland 227 If you enjoyed this poem, buy the issue Or subscribe and receive four outstanding issues for a year John Upton John Upton was well known for his writing of poetry, plays and TV dramas. His poetry includes the collection Embracing the Razor (Puncher & Wattmann). He had five stage plays produced, and his prizes include the Australian Writers Guild’s award for Best New Play. He died in early 2017. More by John Upton › 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 21 November 202421 November 2024 · Fiction Whack-a-mole Sheila Ngọc Phạm We sit in silence a few more moments as there is no need to talk further; it is the right place to end. There is more I want to know but we had revisited enough of the horror for one day. As I stood up to thank Bác Dzũng for sharing his story, I wished I could tell him how I finally understood that Father’s prophecy would never be fulfilled. 20 November 202420 November 2024 · Solidarity A culture of repression: how Australian universities and institutions are responding to Palestine solidarity Andrew Brooks and Lana Tatour In the face of genocide and apartheid, the Federal Government’s response has not been to impose sanctions on Israel, but rather to open a parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism on campuses that acquiesces to the political pressures of Zionist lobbying and empowers university administrators to repress pro-Palestinian activism under the guise of safety and inclusion.
