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Sport 26: Autumn 2001
XIX Notes By A Papuan Judge
XIX Notes By A Papuan Judge
1
Murder in their eyes
is not a crime at all; sometimes
it is a duty, sometimes
a social etiquette, sometimes
a relaxation.
2
You think how many kanakas
learned good agricultural practice
from planters, how many
got seed coconuts
from us if they wanted them.
And you think
how many were taught things—driving trucks
and cars, mechanics' jobs,
carpentry, plumbing.
3
On a Monday morning,
we all woke up
to servantless houses.
The man from the German club
was so obese
he was unable to put his own shoes on.
He stood in the road,
waving his shoes
and pleading with passers-by
to help him.
The strikers
moved through the town—
to the Anglican
or to the Catholic church.
The strike leaders were beaten
for confessions; kept below decks
in a sweltering hulk.
They were made to stand on deck
until they collapsed,
their skins
bubbling.