Published in Overland Issue 223 Winter 2016 · Uncategorized Night pieces Leif Mahoney The swung torch scatters seeds The intemperate torch grazed In the umbelliferous dark With fire the umbel of the dark And a frog makes guttural comment The pond-lilies could not stifle On the naked and trespassing The green descant of frogs Nymph of the lake The symbols were evident We had not heeded the warning Though on park-gates That the iron birds creaked The iron birds looked disapproval As we swung the park-gates With rusty invidious beaks Their beaks glinted with dew Among the water lilies A splash – the silver nymph A splash – white foam in the dark Was a foam flake in the night And you lay sobbing then But though the careful winds Upon my trembling intuitive arm Visited our trembling flesh They carried no echo an Ern Malley compilation Read the rest of Overland 223 – If you liked this article, please subscribe or donate. Leif Mahoney Leif Mahoney is a former architect and art gallery director, who is an art language artist. His major project has been the abstract dada novel Nunawading. More by Leif Mahoney › 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 8 May 202611 May 2026 · Nakata Brophy Prize The 2026 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers (Poetry) Editorial Team Please follow this link to enter the prize. Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 […] 7 May 20267 May 2026 · Gaming Weaponised play: are loot boxes pokies for kids? Tom Gurn In the last decade, chance mechanics have been increasingly exploited by the video game industry to attract players, including very young ones. And while the federal government is clearly aware of the risks, it really isn’t clear what the right step forward is.
