In poems that are as concentrated as pearls, Patricia Sykes explores
various historiesher own, those of her forebears, and the wider
histories of identity and place. Citing the intersection of three
distinct philosophies with particular birdsthe indigenous modewarre, the
colonial biziura lobata, and the common Wathaurong musk duckthese poems
set out on the winding paths of memory and aspiration, searching for
answers to the questions "What is home? "and "What is identity?" Their
context is local and universal, their voices are restless and insistent,
their themes are as broad or as narrowly defined as the journey demands.
Whether inquiring into the futuristic interventions of intra-uterine
surgery, the soft and hard arguments of living outside of the placenta,
or into the dispossessions of terrorism, these poems seek to confront
and understand the complex meanings of belonging. Two of the included
poems have received acclaim: "Modewarreways you might approach it" was
highly commended in the Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize, and "Sanctuary:
Swan Lake, Phillip Island" won the Tom Collins Poetry Prize.
"
