Garden

Flowers of purple, darkened blue and pink
A plethora of bright red tomatoes
Blooms that kept growing and refused to sink
And a range of scents to delight the nose

Plants that were born from my home continent
Columns of corn reaching up tall and straight
Pumpkins that spread without pause or relent
Bees present with the goal to pollinate

Mint growing with intent unstoppable
Countless strawberries that taste the sweetest
Raspberries, blueberries by the handful
All arranged to make it look the neatest

This garden I've created with my hand
It will endure. For I know well it can

 Completed: 14th March 2025

Roaring Twenties

Making real money for the first time
Studying at the university
Turning a passion into a degree
Welcome freedom – to not will be a crime

Meeting up with friends; Jump into the car
Eat pizza, drink beer, watch TV all night
Saving up money for a car that’s right
Go for a driver’s license to go far

Traveling around - so many things to see
Moving out of home into your own place
Finding for the first time a warm embrace
Deciding what you really want to be

Now’s the time: So don’t muck it like a dunce
Because you only get to do it once


6th October 2014

Early Morning Departure

Woke up at 4am but she did not
Got clothes and shoes on just like it was planned
A kiss on the cheek. A squeeze of her hand
For I will be missing her a whole lot
Sitting in a dark room on a suitcase
An airline ticket in hand, held tightly
Phone rings. Head outside and into taxi
As I’m driven away leaving no trace
As I journey I think of her, so fair
No doubt she is still sleeping peacefully
What will she do this weekend without me?
What will she do when she finds I’m not there?

But no matter the distance love won’t wane
And I know we will be together again


11th November 2013

Melbourne Woman

Meeting at the station in Flinders Street
Where folk gather, clocks tell time and trains stop
Take a horse drawn carriage on cushioned seat
Tour the streets to the sound of the clip-clop
Walking hand in hand underneath skies grey
Rugged up in warm gear but still there’s shiver
Sharing sushi on a winters day
On a bench facing the Yarra River
Eating dinner at the Crown Casino
Taking a stroll along the Burke St mall
Take a tram – so many places to go
From Richmond, to Collingwood and Westall

The weather may be shocking but why care?
For a day in Melbourne is one to share


20th May 2013

Battling the Elements

The rain thunders down, the wind keeps blowing
Upon us miserable travellers three
Soaked to the skin with each step we're going
My companions look for answers in me
I sceam defiance, my frustation growing
But the weather rages relentlessly
Battered, drenched, we march with teeth gritted tight
We move towards eventual respite


27th December 2004

This day last year

Stepping off the bus and into the rain
Strolling past the shops in a nice warm coat
Hearing water flow into the street drain
Buying Tim-Tams – they will keep me afloat
Heading towards the University
Sitting on a bench with lunch time in mind
Watching everybody walk right past me
Scanning a newspaper for jobs to find
Listening to the music on my Discman
Pondering as the puddles slowly grow
Wondering if the sun will come again
Looking at my watch: It’s now time to go

Now is the time to focus on the plan
Now’s the time to go and sit an exam


??/?? 2004

The Day U2 Saved my life

Another day without her is painful
I can’t believe how quickly it lasted
She used to think that I was really cool
Now all she does is call me a bastard
I must escape. I need somewhere to go
I need something to extinguish these blues
So I sought comfort in my radio
Where I heard a brand new song from U2
Bono proclaimed it a Beautiful Day
And suddenly I found myself smiling
I saw many reasons for me to stay
And now was the time to keep on moving

So what if the bitch still complains? Let her!
Thanks to this song, I feel so much better


23rd May 2004

Cookery Class

I treat all women I meet with respect
They’ve as much right to this world as I do
I never see them as a sex object
Cos’ I’ve a cross to bear and sins to rue
Just one excuse – That was all they needed
And then they made my life a living hell
Time didn’t matter. Reason wasn’t heeded
And the question of why was lost as well
An unworthy maggot – of me they deem
They kept demanding an apology
My confidence was blown to smithereens
And I’ve become great at saying sorry

But I finally realised years later
You had me wrapped ‘round your little finger


22nd February 2004

My Brilliant Career

I: Earth
Marching firmly across a rock so pure
With each step building up with momentum
Today’s the day a pilgrimage began
On this path leading towards the future
Marching relentlessly with a clean slate
All heading to the Promised Land at last
Forgetting ‘bout the demons of the past
Because now’s not the time to hesitate
Underneath the rays of purest sunshine
Move ever forward, emerge triumphant
Only the strong challenge establishment
Today is the hour, now is the time

At journey’s end, grasp the cup of success
And taste the purest taste that is the best

II: Sun
You know something? I feel like I can fly
I have the strength to reach the greater height
I want to run and jump and to take flight
I feel like reaching out to touch the sky
Burning forward with the power of one
I want to bask in the pure light of the sun
Flexing my muscles, I will climb so high
Destiny is calling. Now is the time
I’m gonna get there, sweat drips from each pore
Sure I did plummet from grace once before
But now I’m climbing back to the sunshine

I feel like spreading out my silver wings
And fly up towards the palace of kings

III: Moon
I’m a cork in the middle of the sea
I’m the voice that no one else can concede
Guided by a map nobody can read
Is there anyone else that can hear me?
Can someone else tell me where I came from?
I’ve lost contact with the rest of the world
I cannot walk for my strength has been quelled
Can someone else tell me where I went wrong?
Memories drift into this barren surface
Memories of when it was all fertile
Memories of when I could walk a mile
But the old way is gone leaving no trace

Without direction, I left to linger
As the life I knew slips through my fingers

IV: Infinity
Forget everything that’s happened before
Forget all the times where one has fallen
Just listen to the voice that is calling
An invitation to go and explore
There is a world out there on which to tread
The way’s made out to a world of wonder
A world of marvels, beauty and colour
So take a long deep breath and move ahead
Can’t stop now, there’s too much to do and see
To slip here would be a dreadful crime
So take it all with one step at a time
Until you’ve finally achieved victory

At last, I drank from the cup of success
To taste the purest taste that is the best


??/?? 2003

Australian life in the Summer time

The smell of meat cooking on the Barbie
The shouts of joy as the beer gets passed round
The sound of a cricket match on TV
The crunching of feet upon a dry ground
The taste of leftover Christmas chocolate
The thrill of kayaking through ocean spray
The pleasure of getting out of bed late
The sunset at the end of each day
The haze emerging from asphalt burning
The house being empty - save for cool rooms
The discarding of school books and learning
The gorgeous mornings, blazing afternoons

Yeah, it’s a beautiful day – don’t you know?
I couldn’t agree with you more Bono


??/?? 2003

Will the Summertime come again?

Gone are the happy times I remember
The warmth, the beaches, the smiles, the fun
Gone for good is this years wave of summer
I don’t want it to leave! I want the sun!
But wait! The sun is shining this morning
I grab my shorts with a grin on my face
If the summer is truly returning
Then I’ll make it come at a quicker pace!
In shorts and T-shirt, I went to breakfast
When I got there, my mother laughed at me
She said: “In winter those clothes aren’t the best!”
“So go get changed and stop being silly!”

My fantasy didn’t stop winters gloom
But I still want to summer to return soon


25th May 2003

Electrical Storm

Last night the skies screamed, rumbled and roared
The darkness lit up as the lightening flashed
The soaked earth shook as the thunderbolts crashed.
And the world heard the wrath of the sky’s lord
The heavens brought forth their fury and rage
An unstoppable ire that burned and fumed
A ghastly war that exploded and boomed
Herding all living things into a cage
I lay on my bed with a loaded gun
The noise outside distancing me from sleep
Whilst I drowned on paranoia so deep
I waited for the coming of the sun

And as through the night the sky’s temper flared
The next day, war on Iraq was declared.


20th March 2003

Friday evening

With roaring engines and screeching of tyres
We go in a car, heading for the town
We’ll find a bar, our sorrows we will drown
While inside excitement burns in fires
We drive through town, bright neon lights flash past
Loud guitars pump on the car stereo
Eating chocolate we go with the flow
The night is so young so lets make it last
Five days of hard work has come to an end
So lets grasp freedom with our own two hands
No more assignments, no more boss’ demands
To our stomachs lots of beer we will send

So lets go drink and be merry. Why wait?
The week is over so lets celebrate


17th March 2003

Saturday morning

The sun comes slowly from behind the hills
Heralding a bright new day beginning
Everywhere the sun rays reach, touch and fill
But sadly no nobody is noticing
They’re still asleep, sheets pulled over their heads
Or they’re playing on a sports field somewhere
Or they’re outside, tending their flower beds
Or they’re shopping, spending without a care
And while cartoons are on my TV
Sharing the space with music videos
I play my computer games happily
Because the house is quiet. No one knows

Such a morning is grasped in different ways
It only comes once every seven days


17th March 2003

Rainy Sunday

The rain comes downward onto my window
Keeping me restricted on the inside
With no place to be and no where to go
I have all the time in the world to bide
The house is quiet ‘cos we’re all snoozing
The streets are empty and there’s naught to do
The radio’s on for anyone listening
And there’s not a soul around to talk to
But this serenity is but a dream
A fragile dream that will end tomorrow
And when the coming night has gone and been
It is back to our real lives we will go

Today I relax in serenity
But sadly this is but temporary


16th February 2003

Did you hear about this one?

It was on this day that the dream did die
And five years of hard work came to an end
I have now stepped off-stage and said goodbye
My future is now in my hands to bend
But, with this goodbye, should I give a toss?
They won’t notice my leaving. They don’t care
Constantly I found myself at a loss
The house wasn’t a home at all, back there
But in spite of it all, it did change me
I went in a child and came out a man
I saw things when before I couldn’t see
I won respect and friends - whom by me stand

The show has moved on - this time without me
And I have nothing - but the memory


16th February 2003