JOHN MATEER

(Australia), born in 1971. He is a poet and art critic. He has published numerous books of poetry, his most recent book of poems, The Ancient Capital of Images, details his experiences living in South Africa, Australia, and Japan. He has won the John E.V. Birch Award for Poetry (1994), the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry (2001) and the Centenary Medal for his contributions to Australian literature.



AFTER RETURNING FROM A VOYAGE OF EXPLORATION

 On the pillow John Mateer’s sleepy head
is a goldfish bowl aswirl with Venetian water,
 and on that galleon, that luminous toy,
he is at the helm, telescope to his eye,
 swearing he can’t see Australia.

And when his caravel glides into the Tagus,
 as poised and cerebral as a black swan,
he calls for a glass of port and a pastel de nata,
 then takes to his bed in a quiet hotel in Alfama,

and dreams the dream:
 that one day there will be a poet
named John Mateer, just as there was once,
 off the edge of maps, a monster
called Australia.