Michael Dargaville
Photo by Giles Hugo circa 1988.

Michael Dargaville was born in Melbourne and grew up in Sydney. He has worked as a journalist for many newspapers and news organisations around Australia. His work has appeared in various literary magazines in Australia, and he has published many books and pamphlets of poetry.

Michael Dargaville

Poems from 100 poems, by Michael Dargaville. Belconnen, ACT: Outlaw Press, 1990.ISSN 0 9588129 2 6
Used here with permission from the author.

'PARANOID DELUSIONS'
by Michael Dargaville
© copyright 1990

The boardrooms of New York
& LA where (our) minds are processed, stamped &
forwarded like packaged
drill heads; crushed white
paper turns into a Gary
Cooper script or a love
letter from Stephanie Powers
on paranoid delusions.
A straight jacket looks
normal & anger is simulated
because there's no role
for you! Fame is a nuclear
explosion where dropping
names is more important
than dropping bombs.

WHEN THE ABSURD IS GOING MY WAY
by Michael Dargaville
© copyright 1990

reason has gone
the season is summer
mental as anything plays on video stations
music makes me want to dance
all the world is but a stage
the police siren in the background
drugs
atom bombs 7 cryptic utterances
the middle class surround me
they offer nothing to the world
but their simple minds
they think about sex on friday nights
but usually they don't even do that
because of their smugness
they look down on the street at you
they drive expensive cars
they don't want to know about
anything only when it affects them

the universe is really quite simple
consider the pressure put
on a child at birth to perform
to function in a way
to always have his say
to eat his meatballs and gravy at night
to become a lawyer
or a poet so his parents think he's
wonderful
& really
the universe is quite simple.

From: 100 poems, by Michael Dargaville. Belconnen, ACT: Outlaw Press, 1990. ISSN 0 9588129 2 6

© Copyright Michael Dargaville

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