Simpson dingo girl
safe inside your canvas dreaming
of the red track westward across the dunes
the lean shape-shifter with toes of a dancer
foxtrots the fringe camp follower
nose to the north she takes the shape of
a desert grass spinifex dry
same pale yellow same drift as the wind
it’s then you daub the ochre the black
white for the star in the eye insinuate
a dark shadow minimal abstract perhaps
next morning the palette licked clean
Julie Maclean was born in Bristol, UK and now lives in Victoria, Australia. In 2012 shortlisted for The Crashaw Prize, (Salt). Her debut collection of poetry, When I saw Jimi, is out now from Indigo Dreams Publishing. Poetry appears in US and leading Australian and UK journals including The Best Australian Poetry (UQP). She blogs at at juliemacleanwriter.com
Simpson dingo girl first appeared in Rabbit (Aus) 2012