The hollow men

T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men” disregarded many of the liberal shibboleths of its time to explore a new wave of populist, religio-nationalist thinking which seems all too relevant today.

The sky that remembers the dead

Another lyrical poem on contemporary issues from Open Forum’s poet laureate Roger Chao.

The west is red

Far from making America “great again” Donald Trump’s presidency threatens to transform the USA into the Western counterpart of the authoritarian states it once took pride in opposing.

The ship of dreams

“The Ship of Dreams,” offers a poetic allegory about pride, hubris and the inevitable price that nature will demand from those with an inflated sense of power and invincibility.

The holy creed of Carbonus Rex

65 million years ago, a natural act wiped out the dinosaurs, but today it’s the dinosaurs of the fossil fuel industry who imperil life on Earth.

A nation of apologies

A lyrical perspective on the fraught political and constitutional issue of Aboriginal rights in this country.

The Siren’s Call

These are difficult times but assuming things will go from bad to worse is a surefire way to make that happen. The future is ours to shape, and envisioning a brighter future is the first and most important step towards achieving it.

Not in my name

The appalling events in Bondi Junction have given us all pause for thought in recent days, in a world where such horrors are all too common.

The silent truth

Conflict has marred the whole of human history, but the hope for peace is everlasting in the human imagination. In a world riven by war from Ukraine to Israel, Yemen to Mayanmar, we should all remember our common humanity and the healing power of art.

Battle cry of the unbowed

Young Australian writer Roger Chao offers an impassioned plea for tolerance and social justice in lyric form.

Echoes of Louise

Literary critics who can only view art through a political lens disdained the late Louise Glück for writing intensely personal poetry, but because of this, rather than despite it, her luminous and fiercely intelligent writing will long outlive her.

Ariel

Sylvia Plath left a slim body of work, but remains one of the greatest and most influential poets of the 20th century.