Two People

31/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I saw two people dancing

Upon a wooden bridge

As in love today

As the day they met



No music played

But they kept in time

And danced a joyful waltz

To the sound of water running



Again, I saw them dancing

Upon the wooden bridge

Smiling and laughing

Like giddy teenagers do



But these were no teenagers

Their spritely years long gone

And though they looked their age

Their hearts beat like they were young



Every week I would see them,

They love so simple and pure

And it would remind me

Of all that was good in the world



Then one rainy afternoon

I saw him dancing on his own

Still in perfect time

And still with so much love



My heart broke as I watched

For a man I didn’t know

And never had I so wanted

To be able to extend my hand



Not to offer a handshake

Or to pull him in for a warm embrace

But to join him in his lover’s waltz

If only for one day

On Bullabul Creek Track

30/01/2021 –  Poem a Day Compilation



I came upon a man

On the track by Bullabul Creek

Eyes dark like the night sky

And staring as if deep in thought



He stood alone by the track

And did not speak a word

His brow furrowed pensively

One eyebrow slightly cocked



His beard flowed long under his mouth

I imagined him stroking it as he stood

But today he paused open mouthed

As if rudely interrupted in mid-sentence



He looked a wise old man

And elder much respected

So who it was that did such a thing

Must surely be very brave



I left him to his thoughts

As I kept on along the track

His weathered face watching over the land

A sentinel standing guard evermore

Never (is such a long time)

29/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Never is such a long time

But I think I can do it

It’s not really a hardship

When loving you is so easy



Gonna fill my world with you

And be your biggest fan,

Cheering on all your successes

Congratulating you at every turn



Give me a moment, if you will,

To sing your highest praises

Because you deserve every one

Even when you don’t feel it



You think it’s silly that I’m this way

But it’s all because of you

They way you light up my life

And make it worth living



Up until I met you

I thought I knew what love was

But now I see I was wrong

And it’s a pale imitation



Never is such a long time

But I’m here ‘til the end of time

Come hell or high water

Nothing will keep me away



Gonna do everything I can

To make life perfect for you

And though I may sometimes fail

It’s worth it just for you



Let me shower you with love

And let the whole world know

You are my forever

And there’s nothing I won’t do



You bring sunshine after rain

The birds sing when you’re around

The flowers bloom a little early

And the days seem like a dream



Down in my soul

Where all my love resides

Is a home that I built for you

The day I first saw your face



Never is such a long time

But together we can make it work

Our love lifting us above the troubles

And devotion seeing us through



Gonna be the best person I can

To champion your every cause

Because you are amazing

And I love you with all my heart



Run every marathon

Swim every ocean

Cross every continent

I will be there for you



Around every bunch of flowers

Will be a ribbon tied with love

Even if I’ve just picked them

Walking home from work



And when Valentine’s Day come around

I will show you the depths of my love

Not just with gifts

But with affection, too



Desert you, I never will

Because it’s not in my nature

To abandon the one I love

When the going gets a bit tough



You are my joy and my smile

You are my laughter ‘til I cry

You make the world a better place

And for that I love you more



Never is such a long time

And it feels like that when we part

The hours while we’re at work

Are the longest I’ve ever known



Gonna carry the weight of the world for you

So you don’t have to feel the strain

And you can be the woman

You were always meant to be



Make no excuses for your brilliance

You shine like a million stars

There is no one that compares

And nowhere I’d rather be



You are my food, my nourishment

When I forget to eat

As I stare wistfully into your eyes

Across the restaurant table



Cry only tears of joy for me

But if you are overtaken by sadness

Allow me to be your comfort then

And be everything you need



Never is such a long time

I’m glad I didn’t have to wait that long

Though I was very nervous

When I got down on one knee



Gonna make sure our life together

Is the best that it can be

Because there’s no one I’d rather spend it with

That you, my darling wife



Say what you will about marriage

It’s not for everyone

But I have found the perfect partner

And the best friend I could ever have



Goodbye to my single days

Feeling so empty and alone

But you gave me the power I needed

To love me the way I was



Never is such a long time

Let’s have no more talk of that

We’ll focus on the future

And our lives together instead



Gonna take the ups and downs in our stride

Always having each other’s backs

A team like no other

You and me against the world



Tell the universe to stop looking

We’ve found what we both need

A laugh, a smile, a warm embrace

And a ton of time to discover



A world of adventure awaits

We’ll travel to the ends of the earth

We’ll climb every mountain

And we’ll do it side by side



Lie on a bed of roses

Sit on the sandy shore

Walk through misty moorlands

Tiptoe through tulip fields



And when we are both exhausted

We’ll collapse into each other’s arms

Safe in the knowledge

We can do it all again



Hurt will be behind us

Our love will find a way

Of guiding us on our journey

To see what the future holds



You give me strength and determination

When I am at my lowest ebb

With you I can do anything

Because you are the song in my heart and my head

Time

28/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



The clock ticks incessantly

Marking the passage of time

In meaningless fashion

When one day runs into the next

And the weeks don’t matter

Nor the months that drag.



Before you know it

A year has gone by

Without contact with loved ones

Half a world away

Except though the magic

Of an internet connection.



How long will this fugue state last,

Where motivation must be intrinsic

And dedication to routine

Sometimes goes out the window

Because it’s easier to just exist

Than to be functional?



What even is time

That it must rule over us

In such a nondescript manner

That we can’t quite put a finger on it

Yet it follows us relentlessly

From the day we are born?



Time is a prison

Built from all our yesterdays

Making a wall around us

And forcing us to work

Toward a wispy tomorrow

That may never be realised.

Men-Talk

27/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



The men folk meet at the local pub

Tired from a long day at the office

And looking forward to a few drinks

With their mates and colleagues

To celebrate making it through

Another week in the rat race.



They talk about sports they follow

Whose team is set to win or lose

And whether they’ll get to the game

Or watch it on their new flat screen TV

While they eat too many chips

And drink too many beers.



Someone asks how the kids are

And they brag about their achievements,

Or how much they’ve grown

Then, in the very next breath,

Complain about how messy they are

And that they won’t do as they’re told.



What no one talked about that night

Was Daniel’s two-week-old test results

That told him he had cancer

And would have been caught earlier

If only Matthew had mentioned

His father had the same symptoms years ago.



Christopher didn’t bring up the promotion

He thought he was going to get

But found out he missed out on

And now he doesn’t know how

To tell his wife they can’t afford the wedding

She’d had her heart set on.



No one asked Andrew and James

How the meeting with the adoption agency went

Because they haven’t brought it up

And everyone is worried that it’s bad news

So they don’t want to spoil the night

By bringing everyone down.



There’s an awkward silence in the group

When the news comes on because

That paedophile Ben used to work with

Is the only thing any of the stations

Seem to be talking about

And it makes him really upset to see it.



Luke told everyone he broke up with his girlfriend

When really she broke up with him

And he is heartbroken beyond belief

But guys don’t talk about that

They don’t show emotions

And they don’t share feelings.



Next week they’re going to Tim’s funeral

Because he bottled up what was happening,

And that black dog took over

Eating at him from the inside out

Until all that was left was a pile of clothes

And a note tucked into one of his shoes.



Mark can’t take it anymore,

He wishes he could have seen the signs

Or asked the right questions

Because his best mate is gone

And he’s lost and alone

In this sea of people smiling through their pain.



Paul sees the first tear fall

And then another and another.

He puts his arm around his mate’s shoulder

And doesn’t ask him if he’s ok,

He doesn’t need to hear that I’m fine lie again

Because he’s heard it too many times before.



He knows that just today

Eight people took their own lives,

Over one hundred more attempted,

And seventy five percent of those deaths

Were men just like the ones he’s sitting with

Who are less afraid of dying than speaking.



There’s not much he can do or say

To take away the pain anyone feels

But he is intimately aware of the need

For his friends to be open and honest

With themselves and with each other

So they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.



He reaches into his pocket for his wallet,

Removing a card that’s seen better days –

Its corners torn from months of indecision

But the number still bright at the centre –

“Just in case,” he says as he hands it over,

Wishing it didn’t have to be like this.



It didn’t have to be like this

And all it took was a small gesture –

No one could have foreseen in the next months

The changes that would come about

Because of a mate who understood

And a conversation three words long.



At Tim’s funeral, Mark made a promise

To every man that he knew

That he would not just ask if they were ok

But really listen to the answer

And to be there not just for Friday night drinks

But for those despairing 3am calls.



Luke confided in Mark how he was feeling

And they both realised they weren’t alone –

They worked through things together

And it came upon them like a revelation

That being mates was more than “how are you?”

And more than saying you’re not ok.



The boys rallied around Ben,

Because that’s what mates should do –

No matter what, friends are there to remind you

That it’s ok to be upset when you’re betrayed

By someone you should have been able to trust

And there is no time limit for feeling how you feel.



Andrew and James decided to tell the group

They had been approved for adoption

Yet hadn’t told anyone because

Of the fear of failure

That they wouldn’t get their child

That they wouldn’t be good parents.



Sometimes a vote of confidence

Or a practical helping hand

Can uplift a spirit when it’s down

Which Christopher soon found to be true

When he explained his distress

To be met with assistance all round.



And instead of going paintballing

The mates got check-ups instead

And made a roster for Daniel’s care

When the chemo took its toll

Of who was bringing meals to him

And driving him to his appointments.



But it took the loss of one of their own

To make these men take heed

Of the need to be more trusting

And to have those hard conversations

So, don’t learn the lesson the hard way,

Take notice of these words



Your mates will not think less of you

For being broken by circumstance –

They’ve probably felt the same as you

Or can empathise with you pain –

They are there to help you to rebuild

And forge a new and shining path.

Stolen Australia

26/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



My white skin burns in the sunlight

That has graced this land for millennia

Far longer than my meagre history

Longer than those first peoples



        This light shines brightly now

        On the dark past

        We’ve had hidden from us

        For so long



        Never taught in classrooms

        The blood-stained pages

        Of colonial history

        Finally glowing before my eyes



The knowledge of my privilege burns

Scorching its way through my heart

Hotter than the summer here

More fierce than those raging fires



        It is a privilege born of a sacrifice

        Not my own

        That I must still live with

        As my national shame



        The many who had their lives stolen

        Simply for existing

        The generations stolen

        And traded like cattle



The sting of history burns my soul

A past that I cannot change

Yet cannot accept

While its truth is whitewashed



        The massacre after massacre

        Their lives deemed worthless

        Against the value to a motherland

        Intent on exploitation



        A legacy of children

        Ripped from their parent’s arms

        To be denied their culture

        Their future and their identity



Bridges burnt are slow to rebuild

Generations upon generations

Separated from each other

By more than time



        Covered up by power and greed

        At all levels of society

        Denied by those set to lose

        All they had gained by those misdeeds



        The stench of dishonesty

        Slowly seeping out of the pores

        Of the institutions and associations

        That benefited from those crimes



Would the burning of this candle

Erase the wrongs

Of the country I love

I would light it a million times



        Would it bring back Pemulwuy, 

        The Bediagal killed and maimed

        Or the Awabakal men butchered

        And the nine Yuin people slain?



        Would it resurrect the Dharawal?

        Sixteen shot on site

        Dozens more driven over cliffs –

        The slaughter of men, women an children



There is no cleansing fire that burns

Hot enough to erase the past

And we all must remember

Lest history repeat itself

Judgement

25/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



        The judge didn’t see me

        Standing before them

        Needing a chance –

        Not to be a better person,

        Not to live a better life,

        Not to make amends

        But to have my truth believed

        And to live my life a free man –

        And all they saw was

        The colour of my skin.



Justice should be blind.

It shouldn’t see race

Or gender

Or sexual orientation

Or economic status.

The same crime

Should attract the same process,

The same presumption of innocence,

The same considerations,

And the same sentence.



        I didn’t kill my wife –

        I was in police custody at the time

        From drunk and disorderly

        And I spent the night alone

        In the local watchhouse

        As my wife was dying,

        As she lay in the hospital bed.

        As her killer escaped,

        And I was only released

        In time to see her pass.



There are far too many stories

Of miscarriages of justice,

Of wrongful convictions

Of lives ruined,

Because of the prejudices

That people carry with them

All through their lives,

Unable to separate their opinion

From their professional actions

And the rule of law.



        The police beat me

        Until I was broken,

        Until I gave in,

        Until I confessed

        To a crime I didn’t do –

        A crime I couldn’t have done –

        And I wanted it to stop

        But because I was coloured

        I knew it never would

        And so did they.



The judge sits as the arbiter of truth

And if their judgement is clouded

By racism,

By sexism,

By homophobia,

Justice can never be served

And the experience of the accused

Regardless of the outcome

Will not be what it should be

And they will be scarred.



        The prosecution didn’t question

        The tainted evidence provided

        By corrupt police

        More interested in an arrest

        Than the truth or justice

        And even the confession of another man

        Could not persuade them

        I did not deserve this treatment,

        I did not need to be tried,

        I did nothing wrong.



They already have scars

From the events in their lives

That led to the point

Of them standing in the dock

Waiting for a judge

To make a call

To decide their fate

To let them live

Rather than giving them life

Or handing down death.



        I spent almost seven years

        Serving time for a crime I didn’t commit

        Until the record of detainment,

        My alibi that was ignored,

        Was “found” and brought to light

        So that I might be set free,

        So that the perpetrator might be found,

        So that my innocence might be proven

        And I could finally grieve

        For my wife and for those years lost. 



I would love to say

That my country is immune

But that would be a lie,

A scandalous one at that,

Because records exist

Because people remember

Because convictions are overturned

And we must continue to fight

For what separates us

From lawlessness and injustice.



        No police had action taken against them –

        They suffered nothing for my ordeal –

        While I languished without hope

        The continued on with their lives

        And no judge questioned their integrity

        While mine was soon discarded

        Convicted not for what I’d done but

        Because of who I am,

        Because of how I look,

        Because I am an Aborigine.



(Based on the 1984 conviction of Kelvin Condren for the murder of his wife, Patricia Carlton, after being coerced by police to confess, despite his alibi being his detainment by police. Condred was released in 1990 after his alibi was proven, a witness recanted saying that their statement had also been coerced, and another person - a white man - provided an affidavit confessing to the crime, though that person was never convicted due to mental health concerns.)

Tender

24/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



You are the ever-loving soul

That caresses my heart

When it wants to shatter

Into a million pieces.



You take caring to another level:

Beyond the clouds that bring rain,

Above the stars in the darkest night,

Over any other I have ever known.



You shower me with affection

When I feel undeserving

And create a safe harbour

For me to take refuge.



You are the most kind-hearted,

Giving of yourself freely

When others would shy away

And filling the room with your light.



You are gentle and soothing

When times are difficult,

Calming stormy oceans

And saving me from myself.



You have a warmth that exudes

From every inch of you –

From your smile to your eyes,

To the tips of your delicate fingers.



You are compassionate and considerate,

Sympathetic and empathetic;

Concerned not with your own happiness

But with the fortune of others.



I am so fond of your tenderness

That I cannot adequately express

The depth of my feelings

Nor the breadth of my love.

Nothing

23/01/2021 - Poem a Day



Where is there nothing

That I cannot see or hear

Or touch with my hands

But only know by its absence?



The not having physicality

And yet embodied within

All that exists and will exist

And all that has ever been.



What concept is this

That tiny bees understand

Yet worries the minds

Of great thinkers?



The blank page,

The starting point

That is nowhere to be found

But in our own mind.



Has there ever truly been

Absolutely nothing

In this universe

That we call home?



Before the expansion of the universe

Before even the singularity

Where, unbridled, nothing existed

In no time and no place.



If I have an empty jug

That I fill from an empty glass,

Am I still left with nothing to show

From my endeavours?



My notion of nothing is predicated

On my sense of something

And its absence being required

For there to be nothing.



And what would I do with my empty jug,

Holding nothing of substance

But existing in its entirety

Of holding its place in the world?



That nothing I perceive is not nothing

But the somethings beyond my vision,

Smaller than human sight can recognize,

The somethings that edge towards nothing.



Yet where would technology be

Without the existence of nothing,

Without zero to fill the space

Left by all the ones?



This unassuming number

Is not, in fact, simply nothing

But everything to our society

Which relies on its value.



Zero cannot be the loneliest number,

That is left to one on its own

Because what is zero

But the deficiency of form?



That which has no form cannot be

But in its absence is –

A contradiction in its reality

Which fills and takes away.



It is a notion, an idea, a concept

That owns the vacated space

Where objects were or will be

But currently are not.



What is a donut without it’s nothingness,

Its absence of form at its centre,

Creating a perfect circle

Representing everything and nothing.



Its form bounding the formless,

It’s nothingness contingent

Of the presence of something

By which it is compared.



Is it the hole, rather than the whole,

In which all knowledge is contained

And, having no mass, no size or dimensions,

May go on until infinity?



But infinity …



        Well …



                That’s another story.

A Letter to My Soon-To-Be Ex

22/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Dear John,



By the time you read this

I will have packed all my things

Into some boxes and suitcases,

And will be far, far away.



Normally, I think people should break up

Face to face – in person –

And not take the cowardly way out

Like I appear to have done.



In the instance, I’m all for it

And this is not hypocritical

Because you’ve made it impossible

For me to get out any other way.



When we met, I felt like a princess

Because you showered me with love

And while some people felt it was rushed

It just made me feel special.



You seemed a little insecure

Like a puppy that needs some love

And I wanted to build you up

So you saw the good in you.



But I couldn’t seem to do anything right,

Just small things that got under your skin,

The way I stacked the dishwasher

Or how I folded the laundry.



You were jealous of my ex’s

Even though I don’t see them any more

And if I was still interested in them

I’d have still been with them.



You wanted me to spend all my time with you

While also keeping the house running

To such a tight schedule

That I was exhausted by your demands.



I began to feel edgy and uncomfortable

Every time you came home from work

Wondering whether you’d want my time

Or let me get done with what I had to do.



If I said anything to you about it

You’d take it as a personal attack

Every small problem we had

Was blown out of proportion.



You said my friends were against you

And poisoning my mind

So you’d come up with any excuse

For me to not spend time with them



You couldn’t tell me exactly

What any of the problems actually were,

Just vague accusations,

Your feelings so unclear.



I wondered if it was all in my head,

Maybe I was the crazy one,

Surely you couldn’t be so incredibly sweet

And so completely controlling.



You started drinking when you got home,

You said it was your way to relax,

But it just made me more nervous

Because it disinhibited you.



Your friends couldn’t see it

They just saw a charming guy

Who appeared to love his girlfriend

And was generous to a fault.



But I would walk on eggshells

Absolutely aware of my every action

Making sure that things were perfect

So you’d be in the best possible mood.



You had all the bills put in your name

Giving me a measly allowance

So I couldn’t do anything or go anywhere

Without asking for your approval.



You demanded not only my time

But access to my body

Giving me no ownership of the experience

Of when or where or what.



I was afraid of what you would say

And the things you would do

While feeling like I had nowhere to go

And no one I could trust to help me.



You’d raise your voice at me

If I dared to disagree

Thinking that being louder made you right

Even when you were in the wrong.



You’d call me sweetheart when we were out

And a bitch when we were home,

The other names you called me –

I can’t even bring myself to write.



Sometimes I felt like I deserved it,

Like I must be a pretty bad girlfriend,

And that I needed to learn these lessons

But I wasn’t sure about your methods.



But it dawned on me that your threats

Said more about you than they did me,

And your intimidation was unhealthy

And I had to get out of your grasp.



I’ve tried to leave before

But you couldn’t see how you were,

Blaming me for your actions

And denying any fault on your side.



So now I am emotionally broken –

Numb, helpless and depressed –

But I am away from you

And you can’t drag me back in.



What little money I squirrelled away

I used to pay for a motel room

So I could clear my head of your toxic thoughts

And replace them with something better.



But it was also a place to hide

Where you couldn’t find me

To berate me or humiliate me,

And I could finally breathe.

Sometimes, I Wonder

21/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Sometimes, I wonder

Not about the big things

But about the small,

The insignificant things

And whether they are,

In fact,

The most important things

In the world or,

At least,

My world.



Sometimes, it’s ok

That I didn’t save the world

Because I don’t think

I’d know how to do that

And, besides,

Maybe I am

Saving the world

One recycled bottle

Or saved litre of water

At a time.



Sometimes, I forget

That individuality

Doesn’t mean insignificance

When I can change

Myself,

My thoughts,

My actions,

My whole attitude

And make this world

A little better.



Sometimes, I am overwhelmed

By the hill I must climb

And the burden I carry

But, then,

Who else but me

Will bear my own troubles

For, if I cannot save myself,

How can I possibly

Expect the same from others

When they stumble.



Sometimes, I am strong

And there is nothing

I cannot accomplish,

No battle I can’t win

And no friend I can’t help

For simply being

An ear to listen,

A hand to hold,

A mind to understand –

Someone with whom to share.



Sometimes, I wonder

And it’s ok

That I forget

Or am overwhelmed

Because I am strong –



Because I am me.

A Windowless Room

20/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



No light hits my face

In the early morn

Blinding me

As I lay in the dark.



No gentle breeze

From an open window

Bring sweet perfumes

From distant blooms



No sounds muffled

By double-glazed displays

That let in just enough

For it to be unquiet



No casual glances

Down a suburban street

At people in their cars

Going about their lives



No stargazing now

Twinkling illuminations

Sparking curiosity in me

A creature made of stars

Trouble

19/01/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



There’s trouble in the air

Blowing in the breeze

Howling in the gale

Whispering in the stillness



It’s the deafening shout

The call to arms

The charged battle-cry

The murmurings of misfortune



Where the worry meets you

And the anxiety takes hold,

The trials and tribulations

Break like waves on conflicted heads



It’s the money that changes hands

The deals behind closed doors

The handshakes over contracts

And the subtle nod and wink



When all is said and done

Good will hopefully prevail

But how many must suffer

Before the final shot

In Hindsight

18/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Looking back

I can see

That you

Were a mistake

That I can never

Undo.



Looking back

I know

I wouldn’t change

A single thing

Because you

Gave me him.

The Confession

17/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



On Monday I confessed my love for you

You said you had stuff to do

Nothing more was said on that

As I watched you walk out over the welcome mat



On Tuesday I confessed my love for you

You asked about my favourite shade of blue

I thought a while before I said

I’m really rather into red



On Wednesday I confessed my love for you

While we wandered through the zoo

You were busy with the snakes

And wondering what kind of a selfie a monkey takes



On Thursday I confessed my love for you

But you were concerned with what I knew

About transcontinental railway journeys

And whether they gave discounts to attorneys



On Friday I confessed my love for you

You powdered the end of your billiard cue

Trying so hard to look so cool

While at the same time playing the fool



On Saturday I confessed my love for you

We were standing there, admiring the view

The waves crashing on the beach

And birds flying just out of reach



On Sunday I confessed my love for you

You complained about your new shoe

And that you’d need to take it back

When you really needed to pack



One day I will confess out loud

For now, it hangs over me like a cloud

I really should tell you before you go

But I’m afraid of your reaction once you know

Today

16/01/2021 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Today is the first day of the rest of my …

Oh, who am I kidding?

It’s one of those self-help lines

That gets trotted out

By enthusiastic people

Trying to make some kind of lasting change

In an instant.



That’s not how it works.



Today is when you make a decision.



Today doesn’t erase the past

Or the lessons you are supposed to learn

From all those mistakes you made.



Today doesn’t transform you

From the person you were

Into the person you imagine you’d like to be.



Today is when you imagine.



Today is when you look in the mirror

And tell yourself

You’re better than you used to be,

You’re stronger than you were,

You’re capable of doing the things

That you’ve always wanted to do.



So today is THE day,

And so is tomorrow,

And the day after that,

And all the days next week,

Next month, next year.



You only get one first day,

And this isn’t it,

But it’s as good a day as any

To call that friend,

To send that card,

To draw that sketch,

To write that poem.



You’ll never have another today

Quite like the one you have right now

So, grab it with both hands

And make it your day.



Because every day you have is yours

To change and be better

Or to make the world better

For someone else in your life

That deserves the very best of you.



So



What are you going to do?



What are you going to do with all of your todays?

Brilliant

15/01/2021 –  Poem a Day



Never have I felt something so intense

That I cried out to the night sky

Inspired to call to a heaven I do not believe in

With images playing in my head

So vivid that I could have reached out my hand

To hold on to the feeling as if it were solid

And, as a virtuoso, turned magic into reality



There’s a magnificence surrounding you,

Playing of your every move –

Your walk, the way you tilt your head –

Every exceptional motion defined

By how marvellously your eyes scan the room

Searching for the next person

To fall under your spell



Like a superb lyrebird in full song

Your splendid voice enthralls all who hear it,

Sparkling like a diamond freshly cut

Capturing attention from near and far

Shining though the mundane conversation

The skillful weave, guiding the topics

Back to your latest adventure



If I could bottle what it is

That makes being around you so glorious

The feeling that whoever you’re focused on

Is the centre of a great big universe

Gleaming in reflected glory

Gifted by you without thought of reward

Because you don’t even believe it’s you



You don’t see the talent you exude

For putting people at ease

Though it’s clear as crystal to those of us

Who worship you from so very far

Yet we are still dazzled by your smile,

The twinkle in your eye

That wonderful way with words you have



So, it has always been you, and only you,

Radiant in the darkness

Bathing everyone in that bright light

That is your unwavering optimism

And your accomplished life

Setting you at a level above

Luminous to the last laugh

Ornithorptera alexandrae

14/01/2021 –  Poem a Day Compilation



On broad wings

You carry the hopes

Of an entire species

Forever trapped

In delicate ecosystems

Encroached on daily

By inhuman beasts

That rip your homes

From before your eyes.



From plain to plateau

You search for food

Stripped from the land

For some convenience

Of those who care not

For such a queen as you,

Their interest only

In glittering wealth.



To catch a glimpse,

A glimmer, a shimmer,

Of wings of breadth

Greater than my hand

Which might wish to feel

The steps of tiny feet

Soaked in the perfume

Of the Kwila blossom

That you mate, your love,

Your majestic other

Should find so irresistible.



So exquisite in flight

No fear, save a spider’s web,

Of being captured

By creatures large or small;

Yet lowly now

Do their numbers fall,

A price on their existence

Increasing each day,

Their rarity their undoing.



For even with orders

Standing generations since,

Meant to protect

From nets and guns

That tore asunder

Those stunning wings

More delicate than silk,

They are placed on velvet,

Interred behind glass,

A hobby for an amateur

With more money to flash

Than any Alexandrine poet

Has written lines to mourn

Its passing into the tomes

Of the cruel and unjust history

Of homo sapien rule.

Mother Earth

13/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Long before the cradle of civilisation

Was a twinkle in some long dead ruler’s eye

A mother birthed a world

That would spawn all of life itself



A hellish birth in the depths of Hades

Cannibalising poor, youthful Theia

Her bones cast adrift to form a ghostly spectre

A sister unable to cast her own light



A heart of fire warming its frame

Its skin boiling and bubbling

Bombarded by foreign bodies

Formed in distant stars



Irregular vessels supply that life sustaining thing

That cool drink to parched lips

The scars of a millennia of battles fought

Healing over, only pock marks remain



Anaerobic organisms fed on a chemical soup

Free from the oxygen we hold so dear

Create the conditions for life to flourish

By their very humble existence



The age of unicellular forms ran rampant

Microbes, bacteria and algae galore

Making up the primordial ooze

From which all other creatures crawled



Tiny forms found in the bosom of the earth

Microscopic witnesses to the dawn of a world

That would deliver every known organism

And nurture them all their lives.

The Change in Me

12/01/2021 –  Poem a Day Compilation



I thought, as I grew older,

I would change much more than I have

But I am still the same person now

As I was when I was sixteen.



I am still the insecure little girl

Who doubted her abilities

Yet always tried her best

Regardless of the result.



I am still that hopeless romantic

Who craved love and affection

But never seemed to find it

Or even knew where to look.



I am still that anxiety-ridden teen

Scared to face the world

For fear of anything and everything

And nothing at all.



The change in me is insignificant –

Now I see my insecurities,

The hopelessness, the anxiety –

But what good does the seeing do?



No matter how hard I try

The doubt, the desire and the fear

Stay with me like a second skin,

A part of me I cannot remove.

Two Lilies

11/01/2021 – Poem a Day



I stood by the road,

Amongst the lilies

White as the driven snow.



Listening to the planes fly over,

I lifted my chin

And shielded my eyes from the sun



Their engines rumbled,

Sending shivers through me,

Frozen to the spot where I stood.



The ground beneath my feet trembled

The dust stirred before me

But still, I could not move.



I felt the trucks rolling by

Before my eyes registered them

And brought them, sharply, into focus.



Before I could move, I saw

The cold, blunt end of a rifle

Pointed at me from the darkness.



Hands grabbed me, leaving impressions

Marks of a war I was not fighting

But that landed at my unmoving feet.



The world blurred before my eyes

As I was uprooted from the spot

Leaving those white lilies far behind.



Brutal metal, cold against my back,

Cracked my skull as the road bounced below

And I saw nothing more than tears.



Foreign voices spoke demonic words

But my screams were silent

Lost to the cavalcade of horrors.



The cloying smell of sweat and gun grease,

Dirt and stale bread, filling the air

As I gasped against the closeness of it all.



The weight of men grown but weak

Bearing down upon my barren chest

Robbing my heart of its innocence.



I do not know how long I lay

Pinned by cold, unfeeling beasts

Their wickedness tearing through my soul



Until I fell into that unforgiving light

Surrounded by the devil’s own

And knew my life belonged not to me.



My existence outside this place

Stripped away from me forever

And replaced by the shackles of inhumanity.



Broken women surrounded me

Their eyes vacant, no tears left,

And hope evaporating into cloudless skies.



Some had been promised work

But the employment to which they agreed

Looked nothing like these tattered sheets.



Some had done this all their lives

Traded like cattle, treated like meat,

Until all that remained was a husk of a woman.



Each day, all day, for months on end

No rest bar fitful, dreamless sleep

For nightmares came when we awoke.



Sometimes officers, but never gentlemen,

Took great pleasure from your pain

Only to rob you of your short youth.



More often, rank and file defiled

Those once beauteous flowers from the road

And shared their conquests far from battlefields.



For these women, there was no comfort here,

Only an existence paid for with all they had,

A gift tarnished by the dragging years.



Now, long after those guns have fallen silent

And scenes of battle long since been erased,

I see their faces in front of me.



No apologies too many years too late

By men who do not believe the words

Will sate my soul or comfort me.



They cannot return that which was stolen

Or revive that which has died inside

For what passes their lips are empty platitudes.



My purity stolen before the gates of hell

Where angels took flight before their time

And noble women fell on dirty swords.



Though you may see me here before you

I do not exist as you do now

With hearts that beat and souls that breath.



Yet those who would torment me then

Lived and loved as I could not

Unincumbered by their selfish wants.



These animals faced no justice here,

Unaware of the damnation that they wrought,

Save the orange lilies I placed at their door.

An Atheist on Sacred Ground

10/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



        Confess to me your sins

        Release them from your mortal being

        Into the cavernous space above

        So you might be forgiven



Forgive me father, for I believe not

These walls radiate no godliness

No matter how prettily they are put together

Or how great the belief of its designer



I come not to be welcomed into the fold

But to behold the achievements of humankind

In creating this place that you and I hold so dear

But for such very different reasons



        I’ll pray for you, my child



Keep your words from my ears

If their only purpose is your desire

To convert me to your brand of worship

Which offers me no salvation



My redemption will come from inside me

Through quiet contemplation

Not by some divine revelation

Or through his earthly messenger, yet



        May God bless your heart



I do not feel a connection rising to my soul

Through this inscribed concrete floor

It does not carry with it those departed

From crypts buried deep below our feet



The sense of peace I get from this place

Has naught to do with matters of faith

But with the solitude I can enjoy

In this small chapel to the side



        Hate the sin, love the sinner



The sense of wonder and awe I experience

Has not come from a spiritual cause

And is all to do with the majesty of the organ

And the aesthetic beauty of the stained glass



Save your communion and confessional

For those who share your devotion

This unbeliever loves you still

Even if you think I haven’t been saved

Brick by Brick

09/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Brick by brick we built this house

A task just made for two

Choosing every little detail

Purpose made for me and you



Brick by brick we built this house

And filled it all with love

We stood back and admired it

From all sides and from above



Brick by brick we built this house

The first of many I’m sure

Each bigger and better than the last

A love of Lego shared forever more

Insurrection

08/01/2021 - Bonus Poem



In the shadow of giants

Ants grow weary

Of perceived oppression

By forces without power

Fed from the teat

Of rage and hatred

Not by mothers

With love everlasting

But by monsters of men

Filled with self-importance

And driven by greed

For that which is beyond them –

Mistaking fear for respect –

Until their violence blinds

And their blood boils

Entering hallowed halls

Where they belong not

Treading boards indelicately

Puppets, every one

Unwittingly used

By soulless masters

To undermine freedoms

They have long given up

When they allowed their mind

To be dissolved by the bleach

Drip fed to them by traitors

Inside their house

Missing You

08/01/2021 – Poem a Day



Alone

Broken inside

Crying

Dying without you

Engulfed

Forever searching

Grieving

Holding on to the memory

I

Just can’t

Knotted

Lost in the world

Mourning

Never letting go

Outcries

Pouring from my soul

Questioning

Reasons I don’t understand

Sobbing

Tired beyond belief

Unable

Vulnerable as I am

Weeping

Xenacious

Yet I remain a

Zombie

The Justification

07/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



It started with a breezer

The drink of choice for teens

It was what you did with your mates

On the weekends when parents were away

Or we’d buy a bag of goon

And pass it hand to hand

Play stupid little drinking games

Until we couldn’t walk or talk



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



No one cared what damage it would do

If you went on a three-day binge

Because that’s just what kids do

And it was a part of growing up

It was ingrained into our psyche

No matter what education we received

That drinking was what you did

During the good times and the bad



        You use it when you’re happy

        You use it when you’re sad

        You use it when you’re angry

        This is not a passing fad



If you were celebrating your birthday

You’d have a drink or seven

Pre-drinks at Steve’s place

(Or at least in the shed down the back)

Then down the pub for the “party”

The official part of the celebratory night

And when it came to closing time

You’d be off to someone’s flat



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You’d have a shot before a date

To calm unsteady nerves

And then have a couple more

As you wait for your meal

You might have a few more drinks

Instead of a dessert because

You’re so much more entertaining

And you’re more confident, to boot



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You’d have drinks at the uni bar

In the middle of the day

You’d celebrate good grades

And commiserate the bad

Yet while your friends had one or two

You were passed five or six

But no one was noticing

Least of all yourself



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



As you got older, and wiser supposedly,

You’d have a glass of wine at night

With the meal you’d thrown together

With whatever bottle was cheapest

It was your way to relax

To unwind at the end of the day

Until a glass became a bottle

And it started before the meal was served



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



When you went to your grandmother’s funeral

You had a tipple or two

Because you were grieving

And everyone else was indulging

But at the wake you really let loose

And nobody said a thing

Because it’s acceptable when you’re grieving

To get absolutely smashed



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



The day of your wedding is foggy

Because you had a few with the groomsmen

Then a few more while you had photos

And on the drive back to the reception

But a few just wasn’t enough

You toasted the whole night long

To the bride, to yourself, to the in-laws

And to anyone else who was around



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You went out for drinks to celebrate

The birth of your very first child

While your wife lay in hospital exhausted

Even though you’d been drinking all day

The lads bought you round after round

Because that’s what good mates do

When you’re celebrating such a moment

They won’t let you pay all night



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



Surely you know you have a problem

When the world comes tumbling down

The wife who loved you with all her heart

Has packed her bags and left

The kids don’t want to know you

Or let you attend their school events

And the mates who once stood by you

Are avoiding you instead.



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You used to drink with other people

Now you drink all on your own

You used to have a reason

But you don’t need one anymore

You can’t hold down a job

Your folks think you’re depressed

The cops have taken your license

And You haven’t washed in weeks



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



It wasn’t like you suddenly fell

Into a bottle by accident

You slide down a long and winding slope

But one of your own making

You could have stopped after the bar fight

Or when you passed out at the barbecue

But you didn’t listen to reason

And didn’t want to see



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



You refused the help that was offered

Then acted like it was their fault you drank

And drank and drank and drank and drank

And then when you’d had enough

You drank a little more

Until all that was left of you

Smelled of the bottom of a bottle

And cheap booze oozing out of your pores



        You use it when you’re happy 

        You use it when you’re sad 

        You use it when you’re angry 

        This is not a passing fad 



The rock bottom you will eventually find

Won’t be your lounge room floor

It won’t be the hard gutter

Or behind prison bars

The bottom that you will find

Will be the grave you have dug

When you couldn’t put away the bottle

To save the life you had

Let’s walk together

06/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Let’s walk together, side by side,

Alone together, you and I

Along the shore as day breaks

Wandering under a golden sky



As the sun peaks its head

Over the horizon out at sea

The rocks do glow ‘neath my foot

Radiant and warming under me



We’ll pass by purple periwinkles

Their little shells so fine

Coiled so very beautifully

Along the rocky shoreline



We’ll step delicately over lichens

Being careful not to slip

On mosses firmly holding tight

To rocks where they do dip



In the small and shallow pools

Left by receding tides

Barnacles cling tirelessly

To submerged and sunken sides



There’ll be limpets by the thousand

Holding fast to the bare rock

Awaiting the tide to rise

Like a ship at the dry dock



Cautious crabs, in the meanwhile,

Will scurry away and hide

But we’ll be able to spot one

If our time we carefully bide



If we’re lucky we’ll get to see

Urchins spiky and small

Tucked up into crevices

By the battered, old sea wall



In those deep and darker pools

Anemones might be found

Flowers of the ocean

Waratahs tightly bound



Further still is the golden sand

Untrampled by festive feet

While seagulls search the seaweed

For something tasty for them to eat



Be mindful where you tread, my friend,

There are things the sting and bite

They lurk in the seaweed washed ashore

The pain of which will set your foot alight



Out on the sand lies yet more pain

If you’re bare foot should happen to touch

The tentacles stretched out behind the jelly –

The blue bottle really is too much.



There are glorious things around here

The brilliant red of a starfish or two

Glistening in the breaking day

The water adding magic to its hue



The early morning swimmers

Brave the ocean pools cool water

Their cossies hug them tightly

Their colourful caps pulled tauter



They should be on the lookout, though,

As they clamber in and out

For little blue ringed octopus

Find homes here round about



If they’re lucky they’ll see below them

Small fish going about their day

Not interested in their human companions

Except when they get in the way



As you look out across the waves

A fin or a tail may flicker by

And if by chance you may happen to glimpse

A dolphin leaping to the sky



Sometime there are pods of whales

Snaking up this all too familiar coast

One day I’ll take you out in my yacht

To watch these majestic beasts boast



What you don’t really want to see

At least when playing in the break

Is a shark hunting for a meal

Then you really know you’re awake



So, let’s walk together, you and I,

Along this superbly stunning way

That causes my heart to flutter

More and more each day

Green beans and peas

05/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation 



I like green beans and peas

And corn and carrots, too,

And mushrooms and Brussel sprouts

(Sautéed, if you’d like to know)



I like green beans and peas

And potatoes – plain and sweet –

Give me broccoli and cauliflower

And sliced or shredded beet



I like green beans and peas

And red cabbage shredded fine

With leek and chives and cucumbers

Or roasted eggplant on which to dine



I like green beans and peas

And braised bok choi as well

Maybe spinach with some feta

And capsicum not done too well



I like green beans and peas

And onions cooked on a barbecue

With raw tomato and lettuce

And we have to give celery it’s due



I like green beans and peas

And radishes by the bunch

Give me rhubarb pie for dessert

And pumpkin soup for lunch



I like green beans and peas

Put lemongrass in my tea

Dice up those shallots

But keep asparagus away from me

My Birthday

04/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



I don’t need balloons,

Filled with helium and tied with string,

Floating joyously above my head

But it would be nice.



I don’t need chocolate cake

Covered in icing and sprinkles

And adorned with sparklers

But I wouldn’t say no.



I don’t need any presents

Wrapped in pretty paper

And tied with glittery ribbons

But I’d appreciate them.



I don’t need a hand-made card

With heart-felt sentiments

Beautifully written inside

But I’d still treasure it.



And if I had to give them all up

For the one thing I truly wanted

I’d do it in a heartbeat

Because things don’t matter at all.



What I want can’t be bought at the shops

Or wrapped up and given away;

What I want is the love of a good man

Whose gift to me is his heart.

Magazines

03/01/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



Who wants to be on the cover of a magazine?

All soft filters and photoshop.

I’d rather be the natural me

With lumps, bumps and imperfections.



Don’t try to sell me any beauty mags,

I’ve seen their unrealistic body ideals;

Give me Australian Geographic instead,

Filled with wonder, awe, and inspiration.



You can keep your page threes and centrefolds

With their unrealistic body types

That lead to unrealistic expectations

Which I will certainly not live up to.



I don’t need your trashy gossip mags,

Dishing out troubles for entertainment;

Show me intelligence and insight, please,

It’s worth far more than the cover price.

Temptation

02/01/2021 - Poem a Day Compilation



That which I saw, I wanted –

To touch, to hold, to have –

Yet you were not mine to possess

And I had no choice but to resist.



The desire flowed through me completely,

Taking over my every sense,

And my only defence was you

Being of sound and moral character.



I craved your undivided attention

With every fibre of my being,

Regardless of the damage

It would undoubtedly do to me.



I fought the urge to tell you,

Knowing my rejection would surely follow;

My heart, at once broken

And hopeful at the very same time.



I could not stand it when we touched

Ever for the barest of moments,

The impulses it sent coursing through me

Made my brain tingle and spark.



My appetite for your embrace

Grew with every passing day

For when you wrapped your arms around me

There was no safer place I could be.





When we parted I wanted to scream

My longing to the night sky

But, instead, I breathed in sweet relief

That you held my heart at arms-length.



This attraction towards you that I felt

Pulled me nearer and nearer to you

Until I could bear it no longer

And I retreated into my shell.



The temptation to break the rules

Is just as strong now as it was then,

But I know this yearning is not reciprocated

And I would be the one to be broken.