Many of the other poems in this section are critical of the government; twisting against the lies, hypocrisy and the formal area of politics. There is the experimental speechifying of “Hansard”, the rhythmic criticisms of “Ship of fools” (which refers to a speech written by David Williamson, “Meeting the Minister,” or the delicate spittle of the “State Parliament” haiku. But the best poems in this section to my mind are those which go deep into the heart of spirituality, self-reflection and a coming to terms with death. These are big poems like “Dear reader” which call to mind the painful searching of Gerard Manley Hopkins:
One long wait for morning: for the second coming:
for a rebate: the bingo number never called.
This dream never begins to end.
Poems like “Museum of Words”, “Said Darkness to the Boy”, or “Indelible Attraction” bring together the smaller scale tragedies and man's limitations into a single notion around our purpose in this brief life. Deane succeeds perfectly in creating his own spirituality – one freed from the might of a papal Magisterium no longer there. There is a kind of immortality here in the sad love which endures: from the bleeding of red hair into the sky to the remembered pain that the mind keeps even after the body forgets. This is a sure-footed and powerful collection which not only points a finger at governmental posturing, and the tragedies that humans create, but also provides a kind of solution and mythology to replace those that have failed us. It isn’t always easy to read, and best read slowly, so the impact of each poem can be allowed to unfold. This is poetry written at the limits of what our language can do; without sacrificing accessibility. It speaks to everyman; as conspirator; perpetrator; and fellow seeker.
Magisterium is published by Australian Scholarly Publishing.
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