A Canadian Moves to Australia in 1971-And Stays

THE SMILE



The chronic cleavage between love and sexual desire is a disease of western man. Here in Australia I was a Canadian who got lots of practice of learning to love women whom I desired sexually but couldn’t and wouldn’t. Here was a Canadian with a face like the back side of a spoon, etched with a smile, with a cautious reserve and the flavour of irony every time he tasted his world and his words. -With thanks to Robertson Davies and his comments on writing on The ABC program Writers and Writing, 25 June 1995, 8:00-8:20 pm.





I’d learned to smile and say cheese

as good as anyone else in that country

of bland faces like the back of a spoon;

and when I finally learned that skill,

after getting rid of my depressions,

well, not quite, they lingered long,

I left for Australia where in that dry land

people’s faces and mouths tell stories,

some of which you wished you didn’t know.



Scratch that smiling exterior

of a Canadian face and underneath

you get a gem of fascinating complexity.

I’ve been discovering one all my life

with the help of Australians

who are a frank, funny

and facially expressive lot:

bodies are alive here.



They've been jumping out at me

in classrooms where I teach,

on the street when I walk

or drive around, even on TV

and in my own house

where she's been jumping

out at me for nearly thirty years.



The whole place is alive

with body language.

The women have been turning me on

so much I’m like a spinning top.

But I always have my Canadian face

to smile at the world:

the cheerful Canadian,

the good-guy, the nice guy.



It’s too much work for most people

to get to know what’s behind the smile,

but I don’t mind. I’m busy enough

getting to know me. That’ll keep me busy

the rest of my life. And I have hardly

scratched the surface of this poetic story.



Ron Price

25 June 1995

 

that's really weird... i actually once met a canadian whose face really did look like the back side of a spoon.... what's up with that????

 

Really appreciated your little gem of a response. Thanks!-Ron

 

I think that is a great story Ron... thanks for sharing!

I once dated a gal from Australia.
She encouraged me to come down to Oz but I really believed that I would regret it.
The Accent would probably drive me insane.
I find I need a good sense of humour about me.
Im one of those people who craves culture.
So
Australia did not seem the place for me?

I must say... those beaches make it a lot more tempting!

If only I could find an attractive Aussie gal.. maybe I would have the same luck as you.
I can only hope - you sound to have been blessed!

 

hahah aussie bitches are rank BWHAHAH!

 

I suppose there MUST be some good looking Australian women.
I didnt mean to suggest that every single one of them are 'homely'.

Hey.. Olivia Newton John is a good looking gal... and isnt there a model named 'Elle' from down under?

I guess I meant to say I would be 'concerned' that there would be a small and precious minority of attractive women to choose from.

Now I could be perfectly happy with the average Australian girls looks IF she also had a clever sense of humour... but what are the chances of that!?
Its not like Im Brad Pitt - so I have to accept Im going to be in 'competition' with all the other average joes down there.

 

Goodness, it has been nearly 7 years since you folks wrote on this thread. I can only offer you my apologies.-Ron