Issue 4: Maria van Neerven
"in this colonised land / between red dirt and blue sea / my eyes would no longer be her eyes"
~ What if my mother was born white by Maria van Neerven
Your poem “What if my mother was born white” explores your family heritage through the stories of your mother and grandmother. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this piece?
My mother and grandmother were women living in some ways a simple but complicated life, trying to support each other in a dominant white Australia. Every day was a battle to live a life of peace when there was so much injustice and discrimination around them and their families. Education was not available to them, but they were not ignorant to the world they lived in.
They were extraordinary women with resilience and enormous strength. We were taught to be proud of who we were and never to be ashamed. Their love for each other and our family is in this poem.
I loved the bright and lively narrative voice in your piece. How did you go about capturing the voice of yourself as a child?
My voice in this poem was led by respect for the women who guided me and the simple things and rituals we were given. To some people we were poor, black and uneducated. Yet we were surrounded by culture and love which made us rich in our hearts. A sense of belonging when others want you to feel you don’t.
Some memories of my loved ones have faded. But the feeling of how they brought me up and how I feel about that time is still there and it is strong like them.
What creative projects are you currently working on?
My current project, a collection of poems, focusses on themes such as colonisation, racism, discrimination, family, and mental health. Growing up in a large Indigenous family we had to deal with these issues daily. Back then my family had no voice because of the discrimination, injustice, and violence that surrounded us.
Which writers and poets have you enjoyed reading this year?
These are poets that inspire me and many more: Natalie Harkin, Omar Musa, Roger Robinson, Jay Bernard, Ocean Vuong, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Charmaine Paperbark Green, Anna Jacobson, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Joy Harjo and Ellen van Neerven.
Maria van Neerven is a Mununjali poet, living in Brisbane. A retired library technician, Maria began writing five years ago, inspired by spoken word scene in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). She has published in anthologies such as Blak Brow and was a Varuna fellow. When she is not reading she’s with her energetic border collie Marta.