On the long flats north of the river
An elder in a leather jacket
Is hitchhiking to his daughter’s funeral
From: Poems the size of photographs by Les Murray.
Commentary
This short poem by Les Murray gives us an image of an Aboriginal elder in the Australian outback. Aboriginal peoples suffer from poverty, very poor health and low life expectancy. Murray’s word picture captures this succinctly. The elder is wearing a leather jacket, probably his best outfit. Why is he hitchhiking? Perhaps he has no car or access to a car. Perhaps there is no public transport, or he can’t afford the bus fare. His daughter has died before him, which every parent will view as a tragedy.
Further info
- Les Murray ( 1938-2019 ) was a distinguished Australian poet. Les Murray – The Poetry Foundation shows a dozen of his poems and a summary of his life and work. Wikipedia on Les Murray.
- The Lancet series on indigenous health and healthcare in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific explores and summarises many of the underlying causes of the poor health of indigenous peoples.
- The very different view of many indigenous peoples on the determinants of planetary health, including land use and ownership are set out in another Lancet article.
- Photo by Dylan Shaw on Unsplash
Contributed by
John Gillies