Published in Overland Issue 233 Summer 2018 · Uncategorized I knew her but could not be a boy Harry Reid i’m throwing it off in a big way & no-one notices. i’ve seen it cause a fuss & now that’s the only way to do it. she thinks i’m lying because i’m wearing jeans but she’s never seen me on the weekend. (in my dreams i’m a jockey & no-one recognises me under all that silk) all my friends see a salmon & say ‘same’. we drive down to lake’s entrance & take our clothes off, it’s very stressful. if i had to buy a swimsuit i think i would die. i’m thinking about the drugs, it seems as though that’s what you have to do. she’s raising money to go all the way & my stomach gnaws at me it’s a feeling like jealousy but less useful. i tell a big secret to everyone i meet & usually they forget right away. this makes poetry difficult among other things. a boy i like has a girlfriend & this is difficult too. (today i gave my two weeks & tomorrow i will buy a horse) there are doors everywhere the only problem is that most of them are locked. when it’s warm again i will spend a little money but for now the rain settles in over the bowls club & i watch the races. Image: Damien Roué / flickr Read the rest of Overland 233 If you enjoyed this poem, buy the issue Or subscribe and receive four outstanding issues for a year Harry Reid Harry Reid is a poet based in Melbourne. They are a co-director of Sick Leave, and the author of the best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend (Puncher & Wattmann, 2021). More by Harry Reid › 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 27 February 202527 February 2025 · ecology Keeping it in the ground: pasts, presents and futures of Australian uranium Nicholas Herriot Uranium has come a long way from the “modern Midas mineral” of the 1950s. However, in an increasingly dangerous, militaristic and volatile world, it remains a lucrative and potentially lethal metal. And it is so important precisely because of its contested past and possible futures. 25 February 202525 February 2025 · the arts Pattern recognition: censorship, control and interference in Australia’s art ecology David Pledger My final thoughts go to the artist and curator who have borne the brunt of this injury. Selection for the Venice Biennale is a significant event for an Australian artist and curator. To be treated so shabbily must cause pain to both. One can only hope the outcry of fellow artists, the solidarity shown by many, and the strong stance of their shortlisted colleagues, provides some succour.
