Volume 10 99

the form of a horse and drowns travelers. This
cross-meaning gives the poem a sense of danger,
implying that the family is not only traveling with
a puppy for the children but also an omen of bad
luck. The unexpectedness of the move is conveyed
by the fact that the tomatoes are still green on the
vine; the mother’s reluctance about leaving is clear
in the fact that she picks the tomatoes even though
they aren’t ripe, having become too attached to
them to drive away and leave them.

These lines are the first three of eight in a row
that begin with “and.” This is a technique that helps
the poem’s style imitate the chaos in the family’s
life. By starting with “and” over and over, the
thoughts presented in each line seem to be added
with no large scheme in mind, as if the speaker of
the poem is just realizing important details while
going along, feeling finished at the end of each line
but then finding that something else needs to be
mentioned.

Lines 5-6:
The attitudes of the two daughters represent
the attitudes of the parents: the older one has been
happy living there and is upset to be leaving, while
the other is glad to go. Although these are the only
two mentioned, the implication is that there are
more children, enough to create a hectic situation
while running around. Lines 5 and 6 are not only
about how the daughters react, but about the mother
noticing their varied reactions, even though the
poem does not tell readers what this information
means to her.

Line 7:
Australians use the word “bottling” the same
way that Americans use “canning.” The woman in
this poem has a kit to make preserves out of the
vegetables that she has grown in her garden, but is
forced to leave before they become mature enough
to be useful. In Australian slang, a “bottler” is also
something that is excellent. The extent to which she
thinks her vegetables will be excellent is a reflec-
tion of the hope that her garden raises in her. This
family is poor enough to count on the crop of their
small vegetable garden, and they probably would
be much more comfortable with those canned veg-
etables than without them, but, to her disappoint-
ment, they have not been in that place long enough
for one crop cycle.

Lines 8-9:
“Ute” is Australian slang for a utility vehicle.
The shriveled fruit on the blackberry vines that is

mentioned in line 8 is a foreshadowing of the mem-

ory to come at the end of the poem, which takes

the woman back to the time when the fruit was new.

There is a sense of weariness and despair in the

way that the woman decides, in line 9, to not ask

why they are leaving or where they are going; these

would be natural questions, but she apparently

knows from experience that asking will not change

the man’s mind or make any difference whatsoever.

The hope that she may have once had, symbolized

by the garden and the bottling set, is so far gone

that she lacks any strength of will to make her own

wishes known.

Lines 10-12:

This flashback presents the hope that the

woman once had, which has been hinted at through-

out the poem. The woman’s hands are mentioned,

showing readers her physical connection to the

place in a more tangible and personal way than if

the poem only mentioned that she “held” the

berries. In addition, her hands are “bright,” while

Drifters

Media

Adaptations

• Dawe can be heard discussing his work on a cas-
  sette recording made in 1989 for ABC Radio, in
  Sydney, Australia. The title of the tape is Bruce
  Dawe in Conversation.


• Another audiocassette, titled Bruce Dawe Reads
  His Poems,was released in 1983 by Longman
  Cheshire of Melbourne, Australia.


• Dawe is featured on a 1973 recording from Uni-
  versity of Queensland Press at St. Lucia, titled
  Australian Writers on Tape.


• Some Poems of Bruce Daweis a 1973 audio-
  cassette released by A.B.C. of Sydney as part of
  their “Poet’s Tongue” radio series.


• The most comprehensive website about Aus-
  tralian literature is OzLit,which can be found at
  http://www.vicnet.net.au/. This site has reviews, bi-
  ographies of authors, and updates on recent ar-
  ticles in Australian literary publications.