ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

“They were the sweetest couple” that's what everybody said
And no-one could remember just how long ago they'd wed
Though she was sixty eight years old and he was sixty two
They'd walk and talk together, holding hands like lovers do.

Grandchildren of their friends would come and visit them at home
It was a place of love and fun where they could freely roam
With pizza time and ice creams too, perhaps a DVD
It was a place where they could chill, enjoy and just be free.

Then came the news on that sad day the sweet old lady died
And as they laid her down to rest her grieving husband cried
No- one could take away his pain though all the children tried
But in his heart a light went out and left a void inside.

The children came and gave him hugs and shared his pain and tears
Their love for him remained unchanged despite their lack of years;
For several days they came around to bring their love and care
Then someone said "You're not to go without an adult there!"

"Look - there’s no telling what he'd do!” “For sure he's not the same!’
“You cannot trust a man alone - he’ll give us a bad name”
“It might have been alright before - his wife was always there,
But we can't trust him any more to give you proper care"

The old man wept to hear of this and knew it was for sure
Suspicion’s evil hand had cast its shadow through his door;
Its latch just three months on remained unused and stiff and rusted
As in his lounge the old man died - alone, unloved, untrusted.

And on his table there they found his medals from the war
His photos of his lovely wife and the kids who came no more
There was a note he'd written just the night before in bed ;
A tearstained final testament - and this is what it said:

“My wife, that dear old lady, you'd have trusted on her own,
Yet you cast an evil shadow on my life now I'm alone.
For in the confines of your minds thus satan does entreat
Old men alone are "Dirty" - but old ladies always "Sweet".


Rod Walford

Good poem Rod and you have raised a subject close to my heart. I love kids and used to always take the opportunity to speak to them wherever and whenever I met them (or give 'em a wink or a smile.) I used to love watching them play in the street or in the parks (can there be a more joyous and heart warming sound than that of kids laughing and playing together?) I live near an oval and would often stop by to watch the youngsters playing competition cricket on the weekends, but now I have to ignore the kids, I daren't speak to them, I am not game to stop and watch children play together and as for daring to actually watch the youngsters play cricket I risk being challenged by some over protective parent.
I know dreadful things are done by dreadful people everyday and that sadly the incidence of this sort
of horrific crime seems to be increasing but I really feel sad that we have come to the situation you describe so well in your poem.
I might be an Anglo Saxon male but I am sick of being labelled a potential rapist; paedophile; racist; bigot; homophobe who has a propensity for committing domestic violence against my wife.

Sad but true, Rod.

That is so sad Rod and very well written about a subject most people have an opinion on even if their point of view and opinion is slanted, and Vic I feel for you. I had a mate who was a single Dad to 3 girls - a lovely man whose girls adored him -and no matter where he went at weekends with the kids he sensed the looks and the sly comments. It totally destroyed his enjoyment and outings with the girls, he became very depressed, took to drinking too much and died before he reached 50. His youngest girl was then aged around 14. I always felt it was a tragedy bought on by societies attitudes.

G'day Rod,
A very good poem, pity we have to have so many sad themes for our poetry though isn't it? It is very true what you write, sadly.

Can I give you a small word of advice, I notice that you have only been using the title of the poem as the subject and then starting the poem on the first line, it would certainly pay to use the title again, then before you start the first line, insert your name and the copyright symbol and the date.
While you may think this is quite trivial, I have just recently received an email from Mississippi USA seeking permission to use one of my poems, it was located on this site sometime ago but that is where they found it, had I not used the copyright symbol and my name they would probably have used it and I would never have known!

Keep up the good work,
Ross

G/day Rod,
Wonderful poem and beautifully written.
It's obvious to me Rod that you have been writing poetry for a fair while and have reached a very high standard along the way.

Once again thanks again for sharing.

Ross Makes a good point with his advise.

Regards

Terry

Hi Rod
As sad as the story is, it is very relevant in todays society - and such a tragedy that society is going this way!!

I recently saw a young mum ranting on facebook about a man who ignored her childs waves - called him a few names and berated the fact that he had disappointed a little boy. Others then commented along the same lines - some who may well be saying things along the lines of your poem if the man had been befriending the little fella in a park or shopping centre.

I made the suggestion that perhaps he was not comfortable being too friendly to a child due to the fact that society are quick to judge those men who do so. She thanked me and said she hadn't thought of it in that perspective before.

While I feel incredibly sad that things have got so bad in that sense, I also hope that people can look at it from the perspective of the male - which you have captured so well in your poem - and realise that we can't have it both ways. You cannot be quick to put unhealthy motives onto innocent men and still expect that those same men will continue to respond and be friendly to a child when it so suits the parents. Hopefully, society will start realising that we are losing something very, very important and necessary in our lives by making it so difficult for people - and men in particular - to be themselves around our children.

Catchya
Irene

r.magnay wrote:G'day Rod,
A very good poem, pity we have to have so many sad themes for our poetry though isn't it? It is very true what you write, sadly.

Can I give you a small word of advice, I notice that you have only been using the title of the poem as the subject and then starting the poem on the first line, it would certainly pay to use the title again, then before you start the first line, insert your name and the copyright symbol and the date.
While you may think this is quite trivial, I have just recently received an email from Mississippi USA seeking permission to use one of my poems, it was located on this site sometime ago but that is where they found it, had I not used the copyright symbol and my name they would probably have used it and I would never have known!

Keep up the good work,
Ross

Thank you Ross ( and Terry) for your thoughts - Ross yes thanks for your advice re the copyright - I will take that on board for future posts. I find people are generally pretty good and ask first but it doesn't hurt to cover ourselves that's for sure!

Irene wrote:Hi Rod
As sad as the story is, it is very relevant in todays society - and such a tragedy that society is going this way!!

I recently saw a young mum ranting on facebook about a man who ignored her childs waves - called him a few names and berated the fact that he had disappointed a little boy. Others then commented along the same lines - some who may well be saying things along the lines of your poem if the man had been befriending the little fella in a park or shopping centre.

I made the suggestion that perhaps he was not comfortable being too friendly to a child due to the fact that society are quick to judge those men who do so. She thanked me and said she hadn't thought of it in that perspective before.

While I feel incredibly sad that things have got so bad in that sense, I also hope that people can look at it from the perspective of the male - which you have captured so well in your poem - and realise that we can't have it both ways. You cannot be quick to put unhealthy motives onto innocent men and still expect that those same men will continue to respond and be friendly to a child when it so suits the parents. Hopefully, society will start realising that we are losing something very, very important and necessary in our lives by making it so difficult for people - and men in particular - to be themselves around our children.

Catchya
Irene

Thank you Irene - you are SO right in your last paragraph there! I think I gave the poem an apt title.

Rod,
It's not that you need to protect yourself from indiscriminate people so much, mostly it is just that your poem may lose it's identity purely by chance. In my case the people wanting to use the poem would never had been able to trace me if the name wasn't inserted.