ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

The Dog’s Gone Missing.

My dog’s gone missing.
“77 killed at Nice”
I’ve checked with all the neighbours.
“Global Refugee Crisis deepens by the day.”
Who left the bloody gate open?
“Israelis and Palestinians in a new battle in their eternal war.”
Harry … Harry … Here boy.
“Trump spits vitriol at Muslims.”
Where the hell could he have gone?
“Growing Water Crisis in America.”
He’s not used to traffic you know.
“North Korea Tests Nuclear Bomb.”
And the vet. told me there’s a tick epidemic at present.
“China warns Australia: Stay out of the South China Sea.”
Buggar it. He’s booked in for a hair cut later this morning.
“Super rift in Coalition. Turnbull standing strong.”
He’s been knackered so he’s not out sniffing around.
“Indigenous suicide: Thousands call for royal commission.”
Where are the car keys Darl? I‘d better start looking.
“Approx. 42000 Australian children are abused each year.”
Hold on … here he comes. Harry ... Where’ve you been? I was worried sick.
“Search launched for missing teenage girl. Parents frantic.”

Wazza

Oh, wow, Wazza - this is both superb and sobering.

I remember once at a course at work, as an ice-breaker we were all asked to write down a global issue which we felt strongly should be addressed.

90% of the class cited something local (council rates, dog regos, stormwater, closure of a local business, and so on). Very few actually mentioned something beyond their own "backyard".

An interesting exercise in perception!

Cheers
Shelley

Way to go Wazza, this is really good. Very original, clever and powerful - Well done!

Kind words ... thank you Shelley and Catherine - just trying to do something a bit different.
Wazza

A real cause for concern for anyone who owns a dog - but of course taken against the events of the world a missing dog seems paltry when compared to lives lost, but we all deal with the more immediate things that directly concern us. That's human nature. We might be able to save our little dog - we can do nothing to save the victims of that horrendous act of terrorism in France.

I often think we have become indifferent/desensitized to events around the world - war, tsunamis, earthquakes etc and the suffering they cause, because our minds are so used to seeing the events unfold and replay over and over that the shock value is gone. We dig deep and splash some cash and that's the level of our involvement...it quickly becomes yesterdays news as we wait for the next horrendous event to cross our screens.

Your poem is topical, hard hitting, factual and sadly indicative of the lives many of us now lead. Well done Wazza...an excellent and thought provoking write.

Thank you Maureen. The horror is that the next headline comes so fast on the heels of the last.
Wazza