Published in Overland Issue · Uncategorized Leafless - leafs Louise Crisp (East Gippsland foothill forest: Gunaikurnai country) Words are leafless In the forest some words are too loud Most words belong to someone else The sheen of words precludes listening Leafs wait to be heard Felled: the story between earth and sky Trees are determined as the rocks The middle story Is dialogue? Logging The tracks of words eviscerate echidnas Leafs align along a ridge Do all the words inculcate colonialism? Greater gliders cannot eat your words however leafy The colonisers’ word morphs into enforcement The route into the valley is not shown by words Forest: a word with many leafs Words that are seen, leafs that are not The track vanishes off the map but the route remains Leafs as necessary as touch The old forest… The creek is not leafless, words float on the surface Read the rest of Overland 244 If you enjoyed this piece, buy the issue Or subscribe and receive four brilliant issues for a year Louise Crisp Louise Crisp’s latest collection is Glide (Puncher & Wattmann 2021). A previous collection Yuiquimbiang (Cordite Books 2019) was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. ‘Leafless – Leafs’ was written as part of Stony Creek Collective, a multi-artform collaborative project in the foothill forests of East Gippsland (Gunaikurnai country) in 2020–21. This project was supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria. More by Louise Crisp › 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 6 November 20246 November 2024 · Poetry TV Times Kate Lilley I try out for Can Can after school / knowing I’m not cut out for the high kicks / Ballads chansons show tunes ok / I can belt out Judy Garland and all the songs from Oliver / “Who Will Buy”/”As Long as He Needs Me” / Wher-e-e-e-ere is love 25 October 20244 November 2024 · Poetry Phar Lap Ender Başkan we have a horse in our shed dad look dad me and gabe are feeding him grass he likes grass he eats grass and chaff dad gabe said his name is phar lap dad come on phar lap! i got some grass for yooooou!
