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14th Anniversary Edition, Live Encounters Poetry & Writing Volume Six Nov-Dec 2023.
Akrasia, poems by Louise Wakeling.
Akrasia
when the task’s done and dusted
it’s adrenalin now meanwhile
your bugbear goes to ground
in some nether-world of the sub-conscious
tasks mulled over
trampled into wine dissolved
or solved always the sweetest
those hours filched from the stalker
who prowls at your windows
scowls in your dream-factory
you give in to feeling good binge
on Nordic noir plant a white waratah
start a garage clean-up – put that
on the back-burner too write a poem
instead about…… procrastination
panic room
you pay for privacy rooms-within-rooms
spin-offs of the gated community
bullet and explosive proof climate-controlled
micro-fortresses steel-and-concrete
bunkers enfold rare artwork computer files
billiard cues and your favourite tipple
rest easy uber-wealthy when the world’s
in meltdown you’ll be safe
behind those hidden doors
and mortise locks all kitted-out
and primed for Armageddon
© Louise Wakeling
Born near Botany Bay in Sydney, Louise Wakeling currently lives in Dharug and Gundungurra country. Her poetry, published in journals, anthologies and four collections, considers the shifting sands of relationships, and the ways in which the past resurfaces in the present. Particular concerns are the co-existence of humans with other species, and the palpable impact of climate change on the environment. Wakeling’s most recent collection, Off Limits (Puncher & Wattmann, 2021), probes Sydney’s edgy spaces, past and present, and the ordinary and extraordinary people who inhabit them. She is especially interested in ekphrastic poetry. Currently, she is working on a fifth collection exploring the idea of movement across boundaries, and a novel about the impact of inter-generational trauma in the lives of three Sydney women.