I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

2 March 2012

The Day We Lost the Volkswagen

During a momentary lull in her head,
the poor old thing lost her grip.
The boat she was towing towed her instead
ponderously down the slip,
backwards into the water.

For a swirling moment she almost floated,
she thought of setting sail.
But her bum tilted, her britches bloated —
she was heavy in the tail —
and the sly seaweed caught her.

I thought even then she might make a try
(she seemed to be righting her flank)
but she spun gravely, one eye on the sky,
gave a dignified splutter and sank.
The sea frothed briefly.

I don’t know — she wasn’t the kind to drift,
much less come apart at the seams.
But the sails and the clouds that day had a lift,
and perhaps she had some dreams.
It was a damn nuisance, chiefly.


© Rosemary Nissen 1974
from Universe Cat, Pariah Press (Melb.) 1985, and
Secret Leopard: new and selected poems 1974-2005 (Alyscamps Press, (Paris) 2005
First published Nation Review.
Also in:
A Second Australian Poetry Book for Children, Oxford
Secondary English Book 3, Macmillan
Off the Record, Penguin
Penguin Book of Australian Women Poets.

An oldie but a goodie, submitted, in addition to previous post, to dVerse Translucent Poetics: Writing Spoken Word, because unlike the previous it's in first person according to the requirements, and because it's my most popular poem in both publication and performance. (The only difference, I've found in practice, is that whereas the last line works best as a throwaway line on the page, in performance it must be hammed up and spoken with exaggerated drama as if written with an exclamation mark – as in the Soundcloud recording below.)

Also submitted in 2019 to Poets United's Poetry Pantry #484 because I think it's time it found a wider audience outside Australia.





34 comments:

  1. I love this! The first stanza really cracked me up. I can clearly see why it's been published so many times. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. such a shame she couldn't drift towards her dreams...smiles..you had me with the volkswagen of course..german car...smiles...my first car was a VW beagle...loved it dearly.. enjoyed your poem...a lot..

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  3. I should really love to hear this spoken - it would increase the drama of it and the bathos of the last line. Not that it isn't great on the 'page' as well, but it is so patently a performance poem. I was seeing us in my mind's eye, years ago, edging cautiously down the slippery slip to launch our little sailing boat 'ti p'tin (little flirt).

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  4. def like your story telling...and it does make a huge difference on some lines how you read them...and i imagine that last line would go over well if done right...a bit sad at the loss of a VW you know...smiles..

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  5. Thank you, friends! Yes, she was such a good car until then, but never recovered. Dredged up, she was full of salt and we sold her off cheap. :(

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  6. Excellent - and you're quite right - deserves a wider audience and/or a rebirth ... I too, would love to hear it aloud ... maybe put it on Buddha Moskowitz's virtualpoetryreading.com ??

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  7. I love this! Definitely deserving of a VERY wide audience!

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  8. Thank you both. Sharon, that's an excellent suggestion, ta!

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  9. Oh, hang on, that's an international call from here! Perhaps not. But I'll look into alternatives.

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  10. Wonderful poem Rosemary. I loved reading your blog. Thank you for visiting mine.

    Blessed be

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  11. I love the image of her, spinning gravely, one eye on the sky. A total hoot!

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  12. I need it's summary. Somebody please help me out! :(

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  13. .... I think I am in love!! ❤️❤️ You sound even more lovely than I imagined, Rosemary and woww wheee what a beautiful reading this is.. the inflection, the pauses .. every little details adds to the thrilling experience of it! I am so so happy you chose to record it! *hugs* tragic what happened to the Volkswagen .. but yay for poetry reading!!❤️❤️

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    1. Yes, the poor little VW never recovered – but has been immortalised in verse, lol.

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  14. I LOVE this! Especially her dignity as she found herself drowning and resigned herself to it - and I adore the rhyming..........

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    1. Thank you for noticing the rhyming; I was quite proud of it (grin).

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  15. This is both funny and sad really. I really enjoyed the way you told the tale & the rhymes as well. Very clever, and I see, based on fact. Poor, poor Volkswagen!!

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    1. Yes, we all loved that little car. But ... it was long time ago now.

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  16. This is so adorably droll! I giggled. And your reading of it was perfect.

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  17. 😊This made me smile from the title tonthe end line. A witty Sunday morning read. Oldie and goodie
    Thank you for dropping by my sumie Sunday today

    Much❤🕊❤love

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  18. I'm in love with your voice and this poem. I delight in how it reads like a story... about a character I would really enjoy getting to know, learning how she got there. The ending made me giggle my understanding.

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  19. What a wonderful story... the way the old car becomes almost like a person with dreams... (or maybe just playing tricks to be a nuisance)

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  20. I was rooting for the Volkswagon!

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  21. This hits all the dreaminess of vacation while making me laugh. And you're reading of it is highly enjoyable. :)

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  22. I'd love to hear you read this wonderful poem but I have to install Soundcloud, alas! It is more than I am willing to deal with. But I loved reading the poem and laughed aloud at the drollness of it.

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    1. Oh, that surprises me. I thought it should automatically be available to anyone reading the post and clicking on the recording. I think it does read well on the page too (smile).

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  23. What an enjoyable read this is Rosmary. It is good to look back on earlier poems and give them a chance to shine again or they could sink but lucky even though the VW did the poem didn't!

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  24. i can see why it's in so many publications.
    But "But her bum tilted" allowed in 'Book for Children' and 'Secondary English Book 3'?
    anyway, loved this poem for its rollicking fun rhythm and rhymes. and a bonus hearing you read it. you probably missed the poor VW. :)

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    1. Oh, I think 'bum' is regarded as fairly harmless.

      Yes, we were fond of that car and did miss her.

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  25. Thank you, Rosemary, for the Sunday laugh. Sadly, too many other people have experience this, as well.

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  26. My goodness, I sure enjoyed this! I'm still recovering from a nasty dental procedure yesterday that knocked me for a loop … and this is just what the doctor ordered ~ smiles ~ The humour is so good … excellent, ready … the rhyme being bang on. It is easy to see why the piece is so popular. And your speaking voice, Rosemary is lovely. What I wouldn't do to sound that good, when I read a poem.

    This post is a enchanting!

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    1. Happy to have been of service, dear Wendy! And hope you're recovering from the procedure now.

      You know, several people have said they like my voice, but to me it doesn't sound great. I think most people dislike the sound of their own voice when they hear it recorded. Yours might be better than you think!

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