Shane McCauley’s poems have long graced Andrew’s website, and can be read here. He is a superb Western Australian poet and has been practising and refining his craft for four decades. He is an erudite poet (his poetry itself offers a glimpse of the breadth of his reading and study)—and he is a generous one, helping other poets launch their books, editing and reviewing poetry collections by other poets, and sharing his love and knowledge of poetry with students in his long-running poetry workshops.

Shane’s most recent book, his ninth, is Sweeping Away the Mandala, published by Sunline Press. Poet Kevin Gillam’s observation about Shane’s previous book, Trickster, certainly applies to this one: “This is inventive an purposeful writing from a master of the craft.”

There is such variety in subject, theme and tone in this collection that it is impossible to quote several poems as indicative of the collection. Nonetheless, for a taste, consider the following two (and afterwards, buy the book from Sunline Press):

 

THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY

I thought of a ghost monkey—
a cymbal-banging monkey
that was a first birthday gift.
Lone gone, but I still mistily recall
the small triangular key in his back.
A few twists to prime him
into a clatter of miniature percussion.
On his head a red hat like Big Ears.
Why just now should I hear him
applauding down the long years?

        © Shane McCauley

 

ODE TO THE HILLS HOIST

Now that you are
(much) older I have
to crank harder
to elevate the sheets
into the whipcrack wind
to see them floating
like flags like smiles
like great handkerchiefs
like signals like icebergs
like abandonment itself
the hoist flexing
metal muscle
an Olympian
famous Australian
athlete of the backyard
silver simplicity
decorated for the neighbours
to see
old towels blouses cobweb
underpants mismatched or
lonely socks
an accumulation of apparel
unparalleled
beneath the whitest light
the washing now done
and gleaming beneath
an Antipodean sun.

        © Shane McCauley