POETRY

REVIEWS
THE FIRST women Red Press has
published between its
"warm
red
covers" are Joanne Burns and Pa-
mela Brown, wilh CorresPondences.
Red press is a relativelY new,
small
press, the tYPe under which
the women have published their
pre-
vious work.
lf establishment
publishing ever
recognises the talents of these
women,
probably posthumouslY, and
reprints,
you can say
you were part of
the
"avant-garde"
who read the
"new
writing", as
you wave
Your
original Red Press copy.
The first and second
Pronouns
predominate since the
Pieces
are
correspondences. Though l'm not
sure what came f irt, the
Pronouns
or
sure what came f irst. the pronounS or,
only three instances
-
Pam Brown's
"all
roads lead to album cover land-
scapes" and
"one
for
Patti
smith",
and in Joanne Burns''l .
"i'm
Packing
to go away again."
Almost all concern relation-
ships, or explore how the
"i" feels.
!nvective
predominates. Pam
Brown's pieces take the hard line
on these, while Joanne Burns'
deflects.
The intrigue of the book comes
from this and other contrasts. lt feels
like fiction and non-fiction
("Letters I
wouldn't send but l'd publish"
-
Brown). lt reads like poetry and
prose, and includes endearments as
well as scathing.
The women are somewhat battle-
sca rred:
lately every change
has scared and changed me.
(the dear
john
letter)
ln the
parry and thrust of human
relationships, they courageously
take their chances. But mostly they
lose?
They adopt differnt stances.
Joanne Burns is the loveable loser.
To commence her section of the book
she chooses a quote from the notori-
ous lament of Prufrock, that poignant
tragedian of the human condition,
"i
grow old . . .". She lampoons herself
with black comedy. By getting in first
26 Womanspeax
and accepting blame, she is blame-
less, and her opponent comes off as
the wrongdoer..
i say you don't know i realise
everything. it's that knowledge
that's choking me. shall we discuss
your carbon monoxide. lam breaking
down. my face is dribbling. i do
not want to flood your batteries
(x1 remember the talk . . .)
She admits to vulnerability and
stresses her ordinary-humanness.
She deals in everyday objects, and
makes the personal open up to the
general.
Pam Brown is the swashbuckler,
def iant,
"i
would rather kick and shout
than
grieve like that."
(the dear
john letter)
or in more female terms. witch-like,
protecting herself in her own
powr.
"i
dare to swim in mY own
hot blood."
(at first,
you came with tears . . .)
She begins her section knowing-
ly, with a quote from Grover Lewis
The Wreckage of Children
-
"Histo-
ry reduces to . . . poison pen lettersof
time." There's the desperateness
of
the more sinned against than sin-
ning.
"once,
trailing mY liPs around
Your
neck. i thought i would fashion a
rhinestone studded noose. i
swallowed
spansules containing clocks, coins,
and automobile
rhYthms. absorbed
-in
my motivation to pin your effigy
with cold steel needles."
(letter to a
ghost rider)
Even
"love
letter in the sand", the
most
.positive
arnongst her pieces,
ends in suspicion:
you oh so
good at romance
you talk like
You
love me sometime
oh so good to believe.
With
a decided lack of trust in the
world, she centres on herself, at-
tempts a super-human
posture, and
creates the surreal
image.
reluctantly, i began to
Pile
the
rubble. black rocks in mY mouth.
(at first, you came with tears .
'
.")
i can always see them coming,
giant
boulders thundering across
Your
room . .
(i cannot say
goodbye')
Though the vitriol disturbes me,
the women can be equalY tender in
their loving,
another time,
You
look
Your
best.
pink dress.
your best
Pink
dress.
you take my hand. walk me in the
markets. buy me bananas.
(love letter in the sand)
and a quote from Greer, Female
Eunuch
-
"All
literature, however
vituperative, is an act of love."
ln Sydney, l've ony seen Red
Press publications in Exiles book-
shop.
just
off Taylor Square, but
they're also availble by writing direct
to the distributors, Second Back Row
Press, P.O., Box 197. Nofih Sydney,
NSW 2060 (Correspondences $2l'.
Look out for two other women's
forthcoming publications, Sal Brere.
ton
-
National Geographic, and
Anna Couani
-
Were All Women
Sex Mad.
The address of Red Press itself,'
editor Tom Thompson, is 7/13
Leichhardt St, Glebe, NSW 2037.
MOYA COSTELLO
\
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