Am I allowed to ask for help with finding a poem? I've been searching for a poem by Douglas Dunn, "Ode to a Paperclip", I think. Does anyone know if that is definitely the correct title - I only found one mention of it, which seemed odd. Thanks to anyone who can help - even bigger thanks if someone can provide link!

Freleng, a google search turned up a few references to Douglas Dunn - and one poem that mentions a paperclip. Probably not the one you're looking for, but you might like to check out this link (and here's part of the poem):

[www.google.com.au] />
A Rediscovery of Juvenilia

Dropped hairs spring as I turn the pages.
Old notebooks, old files,
A stationer’s aroma...

A rusted paperclip has left its print,
Its mineral reflection
On something I ‘sent out’ twenty years ago

They wave across my years, which are theirs also,
With their visible prayers
Returning down a paper echo.


rikki

You won't find it on line because its still in copyrite. It comes from his book "St Kilda's Parliament" and is also included in Selected Poems 1964-1983, both published by Faber. Its two and a half pages long so I don't intend to type it out. With the book title you should be able to get somewhere with your local librarian.

Thank you both very much. Two and half pages, eh? I think that probably has more to do with why it isn't available online than the copyright issue does! Thanks again.