If in North Korea the television news presenter
dresses like a Pelligrini angel and has a blue sky
behind her as she reads excitedly of atomic
explosions that are immense and frightening
then here in Australia our news presenter
squints at us across a desk
(never quite looking us in the eye)
with a river in the background and
on the bank what looks like a casino
as he tells us of the latest suburban shooting
According to the news the rest of the world
is in chaos and its leaders make brief appearances
in front of microphones in palatial rooms
or beside their cars humming patiently
behind dark tinted glass
to say something brief and obvious about the chaos.
We eat dinner in front of the news
or type our emails on our phones
or puzzle over scrabble turns
as the world slides away in flames, in riots,
in explosions and landslides, or simply starves.
We turn the television off, feeling informed.
We turn the television off, reassured that nothing has changed.
We turn the television off and weep or walk or sleep.
We turn the television off and sing like sailors in a storm.
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