ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Where will I be at the end of the day?
I’ll be fighting the rush hours’ hordes,
then it’s telly and dinner and fall into bed,
all the perks which my lifestyle affords.

Listen with care as I try to explain
(free speech surely gives me the right)
the way that I cope with the world’s growing fears
and why I can still sleep at night.

I ache for the innocent victims of hate –
lost for a twisted ideal,
I look at my children, give thanks for their lives,
then reach for the sky as I kneel.

I fully hand over the years of my life
to compassion, to kindness and love,
praying that in my small part of the globe
that push won’t evolve into shove.

With blood sweat and tears so my homeland was built
by hands black or shackled or free,
I owe my allegiance, my faith and my trust,
to red soil, white sand and blue sea.

My commitment to life is commitment to strive -
though catastrophe lurks everywhere,
to use this gift of life to the full
and to peace and to honour to swear.

Hi folks - this is a very poor attempt to write down how I feel. Hope you get the gist.

Not a poor attempt at all, Wendy...far from it! They're powerful sentiments with which we can all identify in some way.

Cheers
David

I agree with David, Wendy. Your poem reminds me of a line from that classic piece "The White Magnolia Tree" which speaks of having "the courage to live in a world at war, and still maintain the heart's own private peace."

Cheers, Shelley

Nicely done Wendy - no apology required for this - your words are straight from the heart, the meaning is clear and the sentiment expressed one that many share expecially this line

I ache for the innocent victims of hate – lost for a twisted ideal,

You have made good use of the prompts in this poem Wendy - weel done.

I agree Wendy - your message comes through loud and clear. To maintain peace within ourselves in a world of growing fear can sometimes be difficult, but I'm sure we can all relate to the determination and faith to do so, as shown in this poem.