Poem – Harlequin with Australian Rules Football
Harlequin with Australian Rules Football
‘Art is a lie through which we see the truth’ – Picasso
In the middle of 1906,
a young Andalusian painter
shipped himself to Melbourne,
attended a training session
of the Fitzroy Football Club
and painted a picture
of what he saw,
a now-lost early work
of a slender, angular man
in multi-coloured gear
clutching a balloon
of inflated leather.
Other figures
in similar garb
danced behind him
on a green field.
Leather balloons
flew everywhere.
Kevin Densley
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His sixth book-length poetry collection, Isle Full of Noises, was published in early 2026 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
Your words have painted a fab picture for me. Great stuff!
Many thanks, Colin. This is my fantasy of Picasso in Melbourne, attending Fitzroy VFL training, though he certainly painted Harlequin images around this period.