Published in Overland Issue 201 Summer 2010 · Writing / Main Posts On the long road Hans Katakarinja This is a poem on the long road A trip to no where Step by step he drags his foot Wondering if he’s gonna hitch a ride This poem makes you feel tired and thirsty The man curses the water mirage Of an old fellah chanting the rain In the distance, on the horizon line This poem stops and lets you cut into it Straight black, white dotted lines fading Into the brown horizon, mixing into the sky Steam rises, sweat falls At anytime you wonder if he’s going to make it But he staggers with a limp into the middle At 200 kms an hour a wind just hits him Not a dragging foot sounds, not even a breath The poem ends with a long breaking sound Squeaking, whistling sound and comes to a halt. Acknowledgement: The opening words of each stanza are from ‘This is a poem’ by Catherine Bateson Hans Katakarinja Hans Katakarinja currently lives in Tennant Creek with his two daughters. He was born in Ntaria (Hermannsburg), about 130km south-west of Alice Springs, and speaks Western Arrarnta. ‘The Pain Rains’, was recently published in This country anytime anywhere, an anthology of new Indigenous writing from the Northern Territory. More by Hans Katakarinja › 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 20 March 20262 April 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize seeks outstanding poetry from new and emerging writers. This year’s judges, Shastra Deo, Harry Reid and […] 20 March 202620 March 2026 · Main Posts Final results of the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Editorial team Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks outstanding original short fiction of up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion […]
