Published in Overland Issue Print Issue 198 Autumn 2010 · Writing / Main Posts wide open road Michael Farrell There could be anything … elongation of a spear Needling To a sphere they think, mind suffused with honey, i reach out, hes a dead man, closing the gateness behind him. We crack the nut & Go on – Theres a Ballet in the trees What a Cool Idea, the economy flows Like a creek at our feet, with a few subtle body bags we ignore. Then i realise im not wearing my red Pin or singing ‘How do you think it feels at night!’ It gives you a bad back & a youthless appearance Sleeping with people or sheep dogs When the loneliness you love is in the Eyes of someone else youre wired We came back after a decade of Drought the briar & burdock gone trialling new forms of Outdoor glass – the schools are laying eggs now Our vehicle stops We sit on our tails Some get pads out Draw a blue sky Reflectors on the inside … You touch a locust & have a vision That were Walking along a rope not A-road the koalas Yaaawnnnnnn For the money Nurses cruise through pursued by reporters on trikes. Michael Farrell Originally from Bombala, NSW, Michael Farrell is a Melbourne-based poet, with a collage practice which can be seen on instagram @limechax. Googlecholia is out now from Giramondo. More by Michael Farrell › 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 First published in Overland Issue 228 8 September 202315 September 2023 · Main Posts Announcing the 2023 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize ($6500) Editorial Team Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, and named after the late Neilma Gantner, this prize seeks excellent short fiction of up to 3000 words themed around the notion of ‘travel’; imaginative, creative and literary interpretations are strongly encouraged. This competition is open to all writers, nationally and internationally, at any stage of their writing career. First published in Overland Issue 228 8 September 202326 September 2023 · Main Posts Announcing the 2023 Judith Wright Poetry Prize ($9000) Editorial Team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets seeks poetry by writers who have published no more than one collection of poems under their own name (that is writers who’ve had zero collections published, or one solo collection published). It remains one of the richest prizes for emerging poets, and is open to poets anywhere in the world. In 2023, the major prize is $6000, with a second prize of $2000 and a third prize of $1000. All three winners will be published in Overland.
