DREAMTIME by John Rankine : A Short Review

 

John T. Rankine, who calls himself a professional nomad, is an espalier expert, working in landscaping. He travels by bike and train to teach and research, and has evolved over a period of time as a social realist, writing poetry.

He conceives his DREAMTIME as a collection of poems, showing evolution of his vision and interests in life, besides highliting the varied influences that shape his poems. However, he cautions: "This is not meant to be a homogeneous book of verse...but a compilation of poetry that covers some 45 years in the making."

Celebrating his roots, nature and earth, he amalgamates familial history and memories, personal observations and influences, and poetry-- his own and others. Rankine honours me by including two of my poems from AGAINST THE WAVES: SELECTED POEMS (2021) along with poems by Robbie Burns, Jenny Saulwick and others.

John Rankine's poems are genuine, readable and valuable addition to Contemporary Australian Poetry.

--Professor R K Singh

Knocking Vistas And Other Poems published

 

My new poetry book, including haiku and tanka, is now available on Amazon. It is also listed on the Haiku Foundation Digital Library: https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/items/show/6956

'Morass of Loss' appears on the Edge of Humanity, 05 March 2024

 

Morass Of Loss

The chimneys around my home

print black spots on the walls

darken the air I breathe and

the water I drink or bathe in

 

the owners know how to shut

the mouths of inspectors

and the mafia know how

to make money this season

 

politics of lack of rain

repair and management

scraunch smoke from wildfires away

to country’s gas emissions

 

they have their priorities

mission to rewrite histories

erase the past and erect

new walls of divisions

 

climate change is no excuse

to mould the minds of Gen-Z

in face of imminent doom:

stay quiet at morass of loss

 

 Text ©  R.K.Singh

https://edgeofhumanity.com/2024/03/05/morass-of-loss/