In this, his sixth full-sized collection, Paul Cliff explores the themes of Faith, Grace, Hope Fragility, Responsibility, Devotion-Privilege, Relegation, Betrayal & Loss - in multifarious aspects and across an array of personal and historical situations. These range from the title poem's iconography of prayer-flags flying in the family back garden, to respectful approach to playing the piano, considerations of the fraught plight of zoo animals during the Battle for Berlin, the demise of an old Pilot Station; historical topics such as the latter day disinterring of bodies from the Franklin Expedition, and the musing of an Inquisitor investigating nuns; wry and/or beautiful takes on crocodiles, blue tongue lizards, quolls and whippets, through to reengineered bucolics fancifully reconstructing Burke & Wills. and contemplations on degeneration of the Darling River.
In this, his sixth full-sized collection, Paul Cliff explores the themes of Faith, Grace, Hope Fragility, Responsibility, Devotion-Privilege, Relegation, Betrayal & Loss - in multifarious aspects and across an array of personal and historical situations. These range from the title poem's iconography of prayer-flags flying in the family back garden, to respectful approach to playing the piano, considerations of the fraught plight of zoo animals during the Battle for Berlin, the demise of an old Pilot Station; historical topics such as the latter day disinterring of bodies from the Franklin Expedition, and the musing of an Inquisitor investigating nuns; wry and/or beautiful takes on crocodiles, blue tongue lizards, quolls and whippets, through to reengineered bucolics fancifully reconstructing Burke & Wills. and contemplations on degeneration of the Darling River.