AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS & WRITERS FOR PEACE
Atomic Cafe by Rudolph von Scheven

[Above] Photo of Rudolph von Scheven by Nanette Mann, 2002.

Rudolph von Scheven

Atomic Cafe

An exclusive cafe
its 1950s decor
shabby
but unchanged
now trendy again

A dim-lit room
with just one table
and only five chairs
occupied by a small
yet steady clientele

Many lining up outside
wanting to join in
kept out by the five
not wishing to share
their cake

A commotion outside
then two squeezed in
but no one offers them a seat
not wishing to share
the table

even if the two
bring their own
yellow cake



About the Poet Rudolph von Scheven

Rudolph von Scheven has lived for prolonged periods in Tonga (PhD research) and has worked for 3.5 years as the government archaeologist in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in Micronesia. He is presently involved in Australian and Pacific cultural heritage management and archaeology. Most of his writing is standard academic material published in refereed journals in these fields. He has become increasingly concerned about aspects of current cultural policy and development issues -- which he would like to address and express through venues other than standard academic discourse. His interest in writing short stories and especially poetry started because he believes these forms of expression to be a suitable medium for social commentary. While he has been writing on and off since 1992 he have embraced writing as a 'recreational' activity for the mind since 1997. He tends to write in restaurants, best during and after dinner, while alone on trips away from the humdrum of daily university life, reflecting on events and life around him.
   [Above] Photo of Rudolph von Scheven by Nanette Mann, 2002.