ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Well, the fortnight has nearly run out - but I've made it! These were a thought-provoking set of prompts, Maureen (well done, again!) I've decided to take a quite different approach, as this week we celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary (married 19/6/76). We thought back with amusement at the number of people who predicted our marriage wouldn't last, because both Rod and I have no brothers or sisters, and some said quite candidly that "only children" are too selfish to stay married for long! Well, we feel very fortunate to have played a small part in dispelling that myth!

HEART TO HEART
(c) Shelley Hansen 19/6/17

They said it wouldn’t last, our marriage bond.
That’s just the way it is – some folks are fond
of voicing their opinion to the world.
Appropriate or not, their standards curled
like banners in the breeze, for all to view.
We stood condemned by what they thought they knew.

We both are “only children” – and they said
“You haven’t got a clue what lies ahead –
no sibling past to teach you how to share,
no history of learning to be fair.
The stress of life will burst your big balloon.
you might as well light candles to the moon!”

A plethora of poets write of love
and liken it to flights in skies above
but through the years the paths of love (I’ve found)
are paved by footsteps firmly on the ground.
Illuminated bridges can be built
to span, with common sense, the rifts of guilt.

Though public confidence was low, we’ve shown
for over forty years, our love has grown.
The colours of our days blend into one
as luminous, they bask in autumn’s sun.
Through joy and tears we’ve known, right from the start,
that we belong together, heart to heart.

Well you'd have to be happy with that - a lovely write Shelley and great use of the prompts as well. Well done

Thanks so much Maureen!

I'm happy with the poem and its message, but I guess I broke the "How to Write" rules with this poem - namely, don't write about yourself or your family and expect other people to be interested! But I guess when it comes to the Writing Workshop prompts - the Muse moves in mysterious ways - and with a deadline looming ... well, you know how it is!

As Banjo Paterson once reputedly said, "When the waste basket is filled with spoiled corrections, I realise that what I've got is about as good as it's going to get!!"

That is the beauty of the prompts - they can lead you in so many directions. The finished product you see posted on the Forum may not bear even a close resemblance to the subject I started out with!

Cheers
Shelley

Beautifully written, Shelley, and an excellent example of what can be achieved imaginatively while following the rules of metre and rhyme.

Cheers
David

Thank you so much David! That's high praise, and I really value it.

Cheers
Shelley