A man fat and flushed as a tallow factory
scowls behind a lion he has shot.
His belly circumnavigates the acacias,
the scrap of a wife's hand on one shoulder.
...
Philip Neilsen has published 16 books, including six collections of his poetry. He is a professor of creative writing who teaches poetry at the University of Queensland and QUT.)
Americans Are Shooting Elephants
A man fat and flushed as a tallow factory
scowls behind a lion he has shot.
His belly circumnavigates the acacias,
the scrap of a wife's hand on one shoulder.
A blonde girl, cute as a cartridge,
lies smiling beside her collapsed giraffe.
A beauty queen hits it clean.
She sure wiped his dial.
A whole Brady Bunch family squats with
their.585 Gehringers in front of a tusker
who obligingly leaks into the orange soil.
Their grins are aimed exact enough
to make an orthodontist swoon.
Whether smiling or scowling, oh freedom.
There is no punchline.