Appropriate

 

Appropriate

 

He crouches, and buries his face on his knees,¹

gazes into the gaping hole of the Mt Whaleback iron ore pit.²

Challenging geological thinking to identify valuable deposits.³

There are at least four look-alike intrusion targets

already identified in the immediate vicinity of Hemi:

Scooby, Shaggy, Antwerp and Alectroenas.⁴

Africa, Anarchy, Chocolate,

Black, Voodoo, Dark Temptation,⁵

add those targets to your hand.⁶

 

Across Boodalyerrie extensive gold bearing vein

systems have been⁷

eroded by anger and hatred,

which is thriving along coastal areas.⁸

Indigenous data custodians⁹

welcomed Origin's pain as Beach Energy's gain.¹⁰

Significant rewards for a demanding servant-leader position.¹¹

Second-hand cars for native land¹²

and global parties across the spectrum of the supply chain.¹³

 

 

 

Lately college parties never produce sexy European

girls that drink heavily even though you look.¹⁴

Even our backyards may contain

the tiniest amount of rare earths,¹⁵

assets squirreled up hi-vis sleeves with which

a jack-high flush can be jury-rigged despite¹⁶

no homogeneity of nomenclature, but¹⁷

call a spade a spade,¹⁸

local lad proved no worse than the foreigner.¹⁹

 

 

1. Kendall, Henry. "The Last Of His Tribe" Line 1

2. Pupazzoni, Rachel. "Record iron ore prices boost Australia's economy, but will the China trade war end the boom?" The Business, 27/5/21. <www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-27/iron-ore-price-at-record-high-but-australia-china-tensions-loom/100166932>

3. Fortescue Metals Group. "Modern Slavery Statement FY20" pg 6. <www.fmgl.com.au/docs/default-source/announcements/modern-slavery-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=7b648c63_4>

4. About the Mallina Gold Project n.d., De Grey Mining, accessed 19 February 2021, <degreymining.com.au>

5. Lynx (or Axe) brand deodorants.

6.  Salvage. Konami, 2020. Yu-Gi-Oh. 96947648

7.  Nicholas, Lorna. "Raiden Resources charges into Pilbara gold space with acquisition of Pilbara Gold Corp." Small Caps, 13/10/20 <smallcaps.com.au/raiden-resources-acquisition-pilbara-gold-corp>

8. Mace, Minnie. (2020, December) The Trail of Dreams: Address to the UN 2009. Nexus, 28(1), 55

9. Evans, Michelle, guest. "Growing Indigenous business sector worth billions." The Money, ABC Radio National, 27 May 2021. <www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/themoney/indigenous-business-sector-worth-billions-v1/13361850> (Capitalisation mine.)

10. Ross, David. (2021 Apr. 17) "Origin slumps after gas price shock." The Weekend Australian, pg 23.

11. Liberal National Party of Queensland. (2021, 10 Apr.) "State Director - Queensland. Queensland Political Party. Brisbane location with travel." [Advertisement] The Weekend Australian, pg 6.

12. Michelmore, Karen. "Andrew Forrest's FMG keeping $1.9m in royalties from Indigenous owners, Juukan Gorge inquiry told." ABC News, 13/10/20. <www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-13/juukan-gorge-inquiry-told-andrew-forrests-fmg-refusing-royalties/12762714>

13. Pilbara Minerals. "Pilbara Minerals to progress optimised Stage 2 expansion studies following conclusion of Pilgangoora partnering process." pg 2. <www.pilbaraminerals.com.au/site/PDF/f8ff6fb6-6b11-4801-9cd6-e6155d64a0af/UpdateonPartneringProcessandRevisedStage2>

14. Sella, Andrea, guest. "Rare Earth Elements." Elements, BBC World Service, 19 Mar. 2014.

15. Where are rare earths found? n.d. Lynas Corporation. Accessed 10 June 2021. <lynasrareearths.com/products/where-are-rare-earths-found/>

16. This one is original.

17. Reed, A.W. Aboriginal Stories of Australia.  Reed Books, 1980, pp. 9.

18. A common enough triple entendre.

19. Phillips, A.A. "The Cultural Cringe." The Words That Made Australia : how a nation came to know itself, edited by Chris Feik and Robert Manne, Black Inc. Agenda, 2012, pp. 80.

 

This poem first appeared in Red Noise Collective