Possession by Pat Donovan-Guenot captures the deep, inescapable pull of the Australian Outback and its red dust.
Through rust-red landscapes, memory and an aching need for freedom, the poem follows a spirit that knows peace can only be found by returning where it belongs.
Possession
By Pat Donovan-Guenot
The red dust of the Outback
Has seeped into my brain;
The red dust of the Outback
Is calling me again.
And I can feel it telling me
How it waits for my return,
Asking me, why did I leave?
And will I never learn
That no way can I survive without
The sight of its rust-red stain.
So now I know that I must go
Back out there once again…
I need to feel its rough caress
Once more upon my skin,
Smell the rawness of its odour
With every breath that I draw in.
Every crease and every wrinkle
On the old wreck that is me,
And every bone I possess inside
Aches for it desperately.
For how can I feel freedom
In this world where all is wrong,
How can I find peace of mind,
Till I’m back where I belong…
Keeping The Verse Alive
Possession is shared with permission from Pat Donovan-Guenot through Keeping The Verse Alive, Country Campfire’s bush poetry preservation project.
By preserving poems like this, we’re helping ensure the stories, humour and characters of country Australia continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
Poems, recitals, photographs, stories and original works remain the property of their original creator and are shared by Country Campfire with permission.
