Louisa Bartlett wrote Eve: The Serpent the Snake and Others. A book of illustrated poetry. AKA Norma Morton b.1936 d.2012, my mother’s eldest sister was also an Art teacher at Eltham High School in the early 1960s. Norma was both witty and creative. She wrote poetry, short stories and drew (with her non preferred hand, after experiencing a stroke in early life). I think of her poetry as a dark Pam Ayers look at the world. Norma was part of establishing the Mornington Regional Gallery. Now that I am living in Regional Victoria, as Norma did towards the end of her life, I often think of her and how she drew on inspiration for her work.
Eve: The Serpent the Snake and Others
Melody Anne
Melody Anne
Though no one even stopped to see,
The meat-ants won the war.
Collecting all the food they could
They thronged the forest floor.
The Greenies came and then they left
When journalist departed
They’d chained them selves to trees
And sang as dozers started.
The drivers didn’t mind at all
It meant another break
They went off home to their dear wives,
A cold beer and a steak.
With several weeks of peace and quiet
The forest stood, all hushed
Except for meat-ants tiny tread
As back and forth they rushed.
Our Melody Anne still lingered there
With slightly sagging knee,
She’d chained herself up much too well
On the off-side of a tree.
Already a small and pale-faced girl
She sighed and lost weight fast:
The time for calling out for help
Was gone, forever past
She slowly, slid beneath the chain
As quietly as leaves fall
The ants enjoyed the rest of her:
She wasn’t missed at all.