Published in Overland Issue 220 Spring 2015 Uncategorized The linden tree John Tranter I gobbled a round of caerphilly, then Theophily called to me, under the linden tree. Conservatism? Let me count the ways: Morning suits, grey ties, greys in every accoutrement, grey imagery shoaling and fluttering down on me lost in the grey-green park, under a tree perhaps, taking the cool morning air as I lie naked on the grass, bum bare to the gaze of the policeman, a rare infinity of arguments circulating deep within me as the dictates of Theosophy suddenly seem unfair – am I changing my stance, under the linden tree? The work is easy, though the days are tough. Pray awhile, then that’s enough. Sit with me under the forgiving linden tree and just be. ‘The linden tree’ began as a draft using the end-words of ‘Anti-Romantic’ by Marie Ponsot John Tranter John Tranter is an Australian poet, publisher and editor. More by John Tranter 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 30 March 2023 Culture RollerCoaster Tycoon and the art of niche hobbies Zac Picker As a writer, I spend too much time awake at night worrying about building an audience for my work. And yet, I spend even more time awake at night, planning my next RollerCoaster Tycoon park in my head, for an audience of the hundred-or-so RCT parkmakers I care about the most. First published in Overland Issue 228 29 March 2023 Aboriginal Australia Standing in the dawn’s new light: truth-telling for settlers Anthony Kelly There’s a paradox about being a settler in a stolen country. No matter when we arrived, we inherited the bounty of genocidal violence. Many of us are the beneficiaries of the intergenerational wealth-building that saw English, Irish and Scottish settler families grow rich on the sheep, timber, wheat and resources provided by stolen land. We have a profound responsibility to dismantle the ‘lie-telling’ because it shores up this legacy and the systems of colonial violence that continue in our lifetimes.