Live Encounters Poetry & Writing July 2026
Campfire, I Tried, poems by Michael J Leach.
Campfire, I Tried
A response to ‘Quickfire, I Tried’ from Moonface (AKA Spencer Krug) and Siinai’s album Heartbreaking Bravery (Jagjaguwar, 2012)
Campfire, I tried to light you
and to feed and to stir and to sit by you
Campfire, I tried to be social
but all the spoons had already gone
Campfire, I tried to play like Krug
but my fingers couldn’t find the keys
Campfire, I tried to live in cities
but the concrete crushed my wellness
and left me sick for home
Campfire, I tried to be a pharmacist
but I couldn’t keep up with the prescribers
Campfire, I tried to win each prize
but I knew I’d lose to worthy winners
Campfire, I tried to stay positive
but negative’s my natural state
Campfire, I tried to hear the news
but certain stories rang untrue
and left me sick for truth
Campfire, I tried to use the app
but it wouldn’t work as promised
Campfire, I tried to tell tasteful jokes
but the joke was still on me
Campfire, I tried to keep calm
but pressure kept coming like metro trains
Campfire, I tried to sleep at night
but my brain remained enmeshed in daymares
and left me sick of consciousness
Campfire, I tried to picture each moment with her
but the memories had faded like sweet dreams
Campfire, I tried to picture each moment with her
but the memories had faded like sweet dreams
Campfire, I tried to keep you going
Campfire, I tried but you’re going
out
© Michael J Leach
Michael J Leach resides on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Victoria, Australia. Michael’s poems can be found in journals such as Plumwood Mountain, anthologies such as The Best Australian Science Writing (NewSouth Publishing, 2024 and 2025), and his four books: Chronicity (Melbourne Poets Union, 2020), Natural Philosophies (Recent Work Press, 2022), Rural Ecologies (In Case of Emergency Press, 2024), and Chords in the Soundscapes (Ginninderra Press, 2025). Michael’s poems have been recognised in competitions such as the University of Canberra Health Poetry Prize, Woollahra Digital Literary Award, Liquid Amber Poetry Prize, and Philippa Holland Award for Poetry.