ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

TRIBAL BEAT


He doesn’t walk his tribal lands, this soil he doesn’t own.
He walks hard city sidewalks and by coppers is well known.
His smoking ceremony not to welcome all into country,
he smokes a durri, hand rolled weed, and cares not who should see.

The clothes he wears are tribal clothes, the tribe of U S streets.
The talk he talks has not his song – but the harsh rappers beat.
Ask him about his country and he looks at you, eyes blank.
Ask him about his culture – he can’t tell – shot memory bank.


And he stands there in the shadows with a foot placed in each camp
but the day of reckoning is here. Which dance will his feet stamp?
He must choose between his culture or the culture of the street
We all dance to different drummers. Will he hear his tribal beat?


Maureen Clifford © 01/12

A very good poem Maureen. Great grasp of a very difficult situation, but:

"And one can see a wasted life that is slowly unfolding.
Another school has kicked him out, he won’t hear what is told him."

Really not quite there.
Love, "the clothes he wears are tribal clothes the tribe of US streets."

Vic

Thanks Vic - the original line was


And one can see a wasted life that is slowly unfolding.
Another school has kicked him out – education withholding.

Which whilst I think that works better - is an unfair statement because IMO the schools really do try but the kids in lots of cases just don't want to hear - the bad use of grammar on my part was intentional - as it seems to my ear that most of these kids are flat out stringing together two sentences coherently.

Thanks for reading and commenting Vic - it is appreciated.

Cheers

Maureen

Good on you Maureen. I like the slight variations in the rhyme and metre, I think these bring into focus some pivotal points .

Thanks Nev - I have just put a bit more Mr Sheen to it

Maureen, you have captured the essence of the situation so beautifully!!
There were some places I stumbled over the rhythm, but love the poem.
thanks for sharing.

catchya
IREne

Hi Maureen, I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. I like the line about not just letting himself down but letting down his race as well. Sometimes the silly buggers are their own worst enemy. Sad, sad, sad. Still it must be hard sometimes with a foot in each camp as you put it. I sort of read into it that he had a white mother while his sister didn't. Maybe I read too much into things, wouldn't be the first time.

One small typo in there, fifth stanza first line I think you meant - wonder.

PS ... You are getting better and better at this strange and elusive metre/meter/stress thingee. Goodonya.

Thanks Irene - appreciate the comment.

Thanks Leonie and your comment was interesting because that wasn't what I was trying to imply - rather that he had a foot in white as well as the black camp in so far as he is a black kid who carries on like a whitey who carries on like a black american kid with his American talk and songs and clothes and mannerisms etc. Just as most teenage kids these days do I suppose. We all want to be different at that age and don't realise that what we think makes us different in fact makes us all the same. What is interesting is that in fact this kid does have a white Mother (whereas his sister has two aboriginal parents.) and his Mother is by far the more dominant influence in his life and not to his favour IMO . So in effect this young fellow does have a legitimate foot in each camp exactly as you surmised. Clever you

I suspect rightly or wrongly that this young bloke wishes he was white . Maybe in his heart and soul he is - but because of his skin he will never be seen that way. It is a very sad situation.

Hot enough for you??? 40.7 degrees yesterday and not much better today - roll on winter

A sad story told many times over Maureen. A comment you made reminded me of Jimmy Governor, who (with others) murdered a white family. From what I read, it would seem that he felt he was neither black or white and accepted by neither and this in part led to the dreadful murders. Very sad.

Heather

We are having the debate locally at the moment about indigenous rights as regards to fishing in closed areas, it would seem that some are only keen to bring out the race card when it suits and be excluded or included in main stream society when it suits.


The fact to me seems to be that we are all Australians and until we all start getting treated the same things will never progress past the present blame game stage.



Bob