Meanjin

The Finest New Writing in Australia

Your account

Sign in
  • In Print
  • Online Only
    • Latest Pieces
    • Reading Trails
    • What I’m Reading
  • Read
    • The Meanjin Papers
    • Poetry
    • Essays
    • Fiction
    • Memoir
    • The Meanjin Interviews
    • Experiments
    • State of the Nation
    • The Year In…
  • Books
    • Reviews
    • Australia in Three Books
    • What I’m Reading
  • Writers
    • Interviews
  • Buy
    • Subscribe
    • Where to buy
  • News
    • Announcements
    • Events
  • About
    • About Meanjin
    • First Peoples First
    • People
    • Editorial Advisory Panel
    • Copyright and Payment
    • Partners
    • Get Involved
    • Contact
    • Privacy
  • Search

Sitting Pretty

Ania Walwicz

Winter 1981

Sitting pretty. Lovey dovey. Lovely dolly. Dolly lady. I lived in a little pretty house. I painted my hair yellow. I was a sight. To look at. I sat. And I sat. I was so very pleasant. And pleasant. And excited. And exciting. I was besides myself. Beside myself. I was on the side of me. I was away. From myself. I was looking at myself. She do. Well. She do. Well. She do. She do. What she do to me. I wasn’t in me. I was outgoing. Out going. Out. Go out. I go out. I go outside of me. Lights out. go out lights. I was gone from me. I’d look at my arm. Whose arm is it. And whose arm is it. And whose. Because it doesn’t belong to me anymore. I couldn’t read. Or think. Or anything. I was jittery nervy. I wanted people to look at me. I was all sitting. All pretty. I was no use. To me. I was outside me. Watching myself be. I was at the back of me. To touch my neck for me. I was on the side of me. To see what. And I dressed very nicely. And I could see me from every which side. And I didn’t feel me. I had no taste of me. And I had no me at all. And I looked very pretty. And I was just sitting. I was sitting. I spent a lot of time. Sitting. Still. And I didn’t feel a thing. No me to feel me. I was gone from me. Oooo look at baby. Disappear. Oooo baby. All gone. And that’s what I did. I went from me. Just packed my bags. And went. Went. Gone. Left me all alone. To pretty sit. And jolly smile. And do some other things. While I watched. And looked. At me smile. Smile for me my Dianne. I got so thin. There wasn’t very much me for me there. I was only chit chat and giggle. I was talking television. I got so pretty. To look at. Delightful to know. And there was only. Some words in a bag. To make a laugh. And there was nothing in me. And I was gone from me. From me. Gone all from me. Gone me. From me. All gone. Oooo look at baby disappear. Gone me from me. And I was nice and quiet and no trouble to anyone. And clean and tidy. I left me. 

 

Embrace Australia’s finest writers

Meanjin is open again for subscriptions! Thank you all for your patience as we’ve undertaken the transfer of the journal to its new home.

The next edition of Meanjin will be available from December 2026. Information on the purchase of single editions – in print or ePub formats – will be available closer to time.

To stay in touch with our latest news, please sign up here.

Poetry

The Idea of Mountain
Sarah Holland-Batt
How to make a scene
Nigel Featherstone
Still waiting
Claire Watson
Reply to π.O.
Jim Davidson

Search Meanjin

Most Recent Edition

Search Meanjin

Site by Madeleine Egan

  • In Print
  • Online Only
    • Latest Pieces
    • Reading Trails
    • What I’m Reading
  • Read
    • The Meanjin Papers
    • Poetry
    • Essays
    • Fiction
    • Memoir
    • The Meanjin Interviews
    • Experiments
    • State of the Nation
    • The Year In…
  • Books
    • Reviews
    • Australia in Three Books
    • What I’m Reading
  • Writers
    • Interviews
  • Buy
    • Subscribe
    • Where to buy
  • News
    • Announcements
    • Events
  • About
    • About Meanjin
    • First Peoples First
    • People
    • Editorial Advisory Panel
    • Copyright and Payment
    • Partners
    • Get Involved
    • Contact
    • Privacy
  • Search