States of Poetry - Poems

States of Poetry 2016 - Western Australia | ‘Yurna Australia’ by Charmaine Papertalk-Green

States of Poetry Western Australia - Series One

States of Poetry - Poems

States of Poetry 2016 - Western Australia | ‘Yurna Australia’ by Charmaine Papertalk-Green

States of Poetry Western Australia - Series One

Can you smell it?
Not like the first rains
Nor the first blooms
But a rather putrid
Vomit inducing smell
Jaan-jaany
The bad smell of Australia

Like stinking body odour
Emitted at footy matches
Fast on social media
With each boo the
Smell got stronger
With each name calling
The smell got stronger
With each denial the
Smell got stronger
Yurna; Yurna
Lingering smell of racism
Australian style

Charmaine Papertalk-Green

Charmaine Papertalk Green

Charmaine Papertalk Green is a poet, visual artist and social sciences researcher from the Yamaji Nation, Western Australia. She has been represented in many anthologies focusing on Aboriginal writers in Australia. Her books include Just Like That (Fremantle Arts Centre Press) and Tiptoeing Tracker Tod (Oxford University Press). Her new book is Nganajungu Yagu (Cordite Books, 2019). Charmaine lives in Geraldton, rural Western Australia.