The Rocks. Poem by Michael Walker
The Rocks.
It was a steep climb up a flight of steps
and winding streets across from Circular Quay
to finally get to The Rocks Centre.
' The Rocks only covers twenty hectares',
'and only 800 people live there', said my nephew.
'It is a a state of mind as much as anything'.
I saw rows of terraced housing:
I trod the cobblestone streets
and noticed the heritage buildings,
overshadowed by modernist high-rises.
'The heritage buildings date from the 1920s'.
We entered the Museum of Contemporary Art
in George Street. Its abstract paintings
passed me by, like the silver markets
on Argyle street, where I wondered,
'How much longer will The Rocks stay the same? '
- Revised 13 April 2019.
Once my nephew and I had got to near the end of Circular Quay, we crossed the road and went up steps and streets to The Rocks. The attraction of The Rocks is its link with the past, by preserving old heritage buildings and terrace housing. The people had to oppose the state government in 1973 to stop demolition and renovation. Even so, the blue-glass high-rise buildings nearby look elegant and modern. So do the apartment blocks. Eventually, The Rocks will be replaced, in my opinion.
The former Prime Minister, John Howard, referred often to 'the battlers' as his constituency.
Reaching up to the The Rocks Centre of heritage buildings was amazingly perceived. The shootings were filmed from outside. You were affected by the tragedy and it was so sad but still you safely perceived the travel moments. An amazing and brilliant poem is well penned.10
I appreciate your positive thoughts and reflections. The TV cameras filmed from the streets outside or near the mosques. It showed victims being taken by ambulance to hospital. The gunman filmed himself actually shooting inside the mosques, and it was on the internet. I was not interested in seeing that. It was a pure coincidence that I saw the TV film.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/27/2024 11:50:29 PM # 1.0.0.1119
The description of the area visited by you makes it unique. A place marked by flight of steps, winding streets dotted by heritage buildings, museum and the market evokes thrill. It reads like a breath-taking travelogue. I'd like to repeat your words here 'It felt special.... to be in the oldest part of Sydney'.