Poetry on the Boardwalk | Anthony Lawrence

Nature is often one of a poet’s greatest influences. There is nothing more simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary than a blade of grass, a puddle, or a falling leaf. So, to experience poetry about nature in the place that inspires it was an opportunity that I, as a poet myself, found deeply enticing.

Upon arriving at the Boardwalk, Lawrence guides us on a journey deep into the mangroves that ended at an entrance to the sea. The sounds of the ocean and surrounding birds providing an organic soundscape to the performance. Sacred Kingfishers and Spoonbills nestling nearby – guardians of the sharing circle. The sea breeze a much-needed saviour from the spring’s heat.

Lawrence begins sharing his poetry with us and it is just as delightful as the breeze. The imagery is rich and hauntingly specific. The acute nature of his memory is admirable, and it allows him to expertly draw out a singular moment or a small string of them transmuting it/them into something beautiful and emotionally significant. I will say that his work does suit the page better than it does the spoken word being that its focus lies with its visual rather than sonic qualities but that does not make it any less beautiful.

Lawrence himself is a day at the seaside personified – still and spritely all at once. And while our time with him was a brief escape into nature it was nourishing in a way that will last much longer. All-in-all Poetry on the Boardwalk was a lovely chance to disappear into nature and to hear some lovely poetry from one of Australia’s foremost poets.