I met Shaoquett Moselmane, a member of the Legislative Council (upper house) of the Parliament of New South Wales at Parliament House in Sydney last November, when he hosted the launch of an anthology of Chinese-Australian poetry. I spoke on that occasion on the theme of poetry's work in conserving our deep humanity and in refusing impermanence. Shaoquett does wonderful work for the diverse poetic cultures of the State, in particular in his Western Sydney constituencies; and his Arabic and Persian backgrounds have taught him that the world (the real world, the one in our breasts) runs on poetry. Now Shaoquett has asked me to speak at two upcoming literary events in Western Sydney: a celebration of Panjabi Poetry and Literature, part of the Panjabi Sahit Festival, in the Max Webber Library Hall at Blacktown on Friday night (17 March, 6 till 8).