In the Outback: A Dreaming
Sheila Hellman

Didgeradoo

Aboriginal instrument
of the Northern Territory

From its bottomless deep
the yelp of a dingo,
pulsating gallop of a kangaroo.

Dead spirits rise, roused
by its guttural wail
accompanying dancers
in ceremonial dress.

I press clenched lips
where termites once feasted
in the center of this log,
breathe through my nose
forcing air to rush down
six feet
of hollow cylinder; puff
until the tendons in my neck
pop out, and swollen cheeks
register the colors of pain.

ISBN 1882983424
41 pages/$6