Erica Jolly's poems are, above all, political, polemical, and strong. Like the fruit for which this collection is named, the poetry only seems sweet. There is a bitter, acidic undercurrent, which fills the mouth.
Jolly's work is highly critical of the liberal government, and many of its policies, towards education, towards the Wik ruling, the "stolen generation," the war in Iraq, immigration policy, and the GST:
Among accounts, Howard's soft sell arrives
wanting her to buy a world quietly displayed
in five horizontal shots across that middle line.
No verticals, no signs of less or more
or higher lower on the income ladder scale -
this glossy's cool and delicate in touch. ("A superannuated woman muses on the GST")
The writing is powerful, and topical, but the specific references to local politicians and events will undoubtably limit the appeal of this work. For example, "Pauline Hanson's Maiden Speech," equates the taste and unhealthy quality of Fish and Chips to the heavy and corrupting effect of the right wing One Nation ex-leader's words. But to feel the power of this poem, you need to know that Hanson once owned a fish and chip shop, and also to have some understanding of the role that Ms Hanson played in Australian politics:
Potatoes here are not
the stuff of life -
they're blighted
by a different
disease - one that
starves the soul. (42)
This poem will likely be unreadable within a few years, because it isn't Pauline Hanson per se which makes this interesting, but the much more universal idea that she embodies - that of ignorance, fear and racial hatred. Others are similiarly rooted in "current affairs," such as the Patrick's attack on the waterside workers:
The nightmare's back -
wreathed in rhetoric today
detached on TV screens
where politicians try
to justify the use of
an outlawed spray
to sting and burn
and blind. ("Good Friday 1998")
Again, there are powerful universal concepts here, about the notion of "might makes right," and the human face behind work stoppages and enterprise agreements, but Jolly goes for the newspaper styled immediacy instead, focusing on the specifics only, and leaving the bigger picture for the reader to pull together through their assumed knowledge of current affairs. The hypocrisy of politicians, the "old boys' club," and above all, hiding others' pain and suffering behind a facade of niceness are all strong currents which sit behind these poems, and Jolly metaphors are effective. The only flaw is the heavy use of specific names, particular incidents, and an insular focus. As a means for recording the moment, these poems are strong ones, but will probably leave anyone who doesn't read Australian newspapers confused.
Because they make no assumptions about the reader's perspective, the poems which have a more global context, such as "Troodoes 1978," or "Pretoria 1984" achieve a greater degree of universality, and manage better to convey the big picture behind the specific event:
Crushed at elbow,
knee and back,
better to suffocate
than meet police
after dark. (31)
There are also the tribute poems, which focus on specific artists like Gordon Bennett, John Robinson, Kerry Giles, Cedar Prest, or Judith Wright, and the mourning poems, such as those which bid farewell to author Kylie Tennant, or the school Jolly taught at, Marion High School:
But no feet run
on red brick paths -
no friendly calls
bounce from walls
no children sign
their friendship
with their songs. ("It can't be now")
These poems resonate with longing, and convey a mood which readers will understand and relate to, although again, it is likely that few readers will specifically understand the context, or the specific references. Where Jolly's real talent shows best is when she combines the detail of a moment, with the neurosis and fear inherent in the modern world. Then she lets go of the present and focuses on the universal, as in the very powerful "A view of the end:"
for while I prick each globe
releasing purest joy and daily circle
this most bountiful bush
I'll keep at bay dire predictions
and my world will not end with a whimper.(6)
The poems in Pomegranates are full of rich imagery which modern Australian readers (especially those who vote Labor) will find evocative. Those who are not familiar with Australian current events of the last five or so years will unfortunately miss some of Jolly's best effects, and the wonderful way in which she combines the domestic with world events, and that is a shame, since there is much here which deserves to be given a broader airing.
(Reviewed by Magdalena Ball, September 2004)
