A slow motion cascade
of gold, and dawn
teases her way slowly
into the day.
The dunes are drenched
with warm shadow,
and displayed with endless variations
of sand, sun, and shadow.
In the silence of this jungle clearing,
an orchestra slowly grows.
Soft sounds of life,
unseen but felt
as a rhythm slow
and eternal.
The stars stretch to forever,
and the lanterns
on the dugout fishing canoes,
scale universal splendour
to this night.
And the waves that bob the lanterns
flow relentlessly south
to a distance Antarctica
ten thousand kilometres away.
I hear your breath in the night,
and feel the harmonic
being near you brings.
Then, just as smiling sleep
reclaims, we touch,
to travel, yet again,
our variations on a dream.
My father's face surprised me one morning,
peering at me from my bathroom mirror.
My joy at seeing him (dead these many years)
was tempered by a sudden knowledge of the message
he brought.
I never sought wisdom from my Dad,
but in my blundering adolescent way
found much that would return in later years
to haunt, and to guide me.
He, a quiet yet vibrant man, taught me
that sorrow and tears were never solely
the private prerogative of women:
men also wept in private anguish.
He, an undemonstrative man, showed his love
at the most unexpected times.
A sudden gift, and shy explanation
of how he thought I might like it.
He, an unlettered man, offered support,
approval for my serendipitous ways.
With hesitant words he voiced his pride
in the directions I had taken.
Seeing myself in my children's eyes,
I can only hope that the genetic gifts
I leave with them can partially repay
the legacy of my father's love.
Just a euphemism we have coined
to mask the slaughter of innocents,
people much like you and me
who got in the way of war.
Just a phrase to make it neat,
and hide the body bags,
while we wave our flags,
sing our anthems, and shed a tear for “heroes”.
We colonised, destroying cultures,
imposing religion, and societal mores
on peoples who had been civilized
long before the Enlightenment.
We pushed our hegemonic aspirations,
driven by corporate greed,
and the leitmotif of economic expansionism,
with military muscle hammering compliance.
We speak democracy, but install tyrants
who ensure human rights abuses,
economic stagnation, theocratic indoctrination,
and we ponder the causes of terrorism.
So: another day, another headline,
screaming of blood, and death, and pain.
When will we realise the collateral damage
is empathy, tolerance, and social progress?
