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.)