Critical Times

Geoff Goodfellow of Semaphore, South Australia, is one of perhaps a handful of people in Australia who derive an income from working as a poet. And it’s often bare subsistance money – perhaps due to the content. Among other things he writes about work and workers. He knows the struggle and never calls a spade a shovel. Geoff grew up in the northern suburbs when Adelaide basically finished at the Grand Junction Road. He left school at fifteen along with his brothers and sister and they all worked as ‘hands & feet people’. He grew up in an oral culture and most of his young childhood wasn’t influenced by TV. His contemporary yarn spinning style is due, he believes, in a large part to his father, a hard drinking ex Featherweight Champion boxer who could talk under water without blowing bubbles.

 

To Your Three Sons

You said “everyone loves a larrikin -
no-one loves a lair
especially a mug lair”

you taught us when to shut-up
& when to shape up

but you taught us too
when to pull our heads in

you said “you’ve gotta back
your judgement with some mugs
& you’ve gotta be able
to back it up too”

you said “you might cop
the occasional hiding
but you don’t run -
it doesn’t matter how big they are”

you said “you run once -
& you run for the rest of your lives”

& you said “& this is what you use”
& you held up your fists

you said “you don’t use an aristotle
& you don’t use a monkey’s arse
they’re for drop kick & punts -
you’ve got these
learn to use ‘em -
they could come in handy”

then you got down on your knees
on the kitchen lino
you showed us how to tuck
the chin in to the shoulder
how to hold the elbows
in to the ribs
how to swivel from the waist -
how to keep the mitts up

you taught us how to lead with the left
you told us we weren’t going to
knock ‘em out with that one
you told us it was the left jab
we were to use to put their head
in the right spot
then we could knock ‘em out

John you weren’t far wrong.

 

Geoff Goodfellow

 

Geoff has published eight collections of poetry and has travelled internationally giving performances of his work at numerous festivals, universities and other venues. Heís also available for work locally: schools, colleges, universities, workplace performances, pubs, clubs and the like. Geoff can be contacted by phone (08) 8449 1371 or mobile 0407 972 184 or by e-mail: poetforhire@picknowl.com.au