Sunset at the Perth War Cemetery
"They will be a smudge in history" - Former Prime Minister Paul Keating on dissident historians
“Now, this is what ... and, you know, all those middle-of-the-road fascists, you know, in the News Corporation papers, all going on this morning, on the front pages of The Daily Telegraph and The Australian, and the hand-wringing, you know, the conservative columnists in The Sydney Morning Herald, you know … Former Prime Minister Paul Keating again.
This is a calm evening. The sky’s colours
Change as clouds move in a little breeze.
I walk past neighbours' children playing,
suburban hedges, flowers and birds and trees.
There are birds here that I love, willy-wagtails,
swooping and darting in the twilight day.
Traffic nearby. Not a funereal silence,
but rather sounds of life not far away.
Will wars and terror end before the plaques
fill the last wall here? I think we know
the answer. Shrug, carry on. And see
bright parrots flash across the sunset's glow.
Like Larkin in an English church I wonder
who shall be the very last to come
to this place as it is? Some student after
thesis-fodder from these lines of dumb
white stones and plaques? Some hunted
Jew-Kulak-Christian, drawing a last breath
before the dogs close in? But any fool
can get himself depressed by thoughts of death.
And these here died not for nothing.
I place three poppies: one for my own dead,
One for a hero I knew, one for an unknown.
The sky is glorious in sunset gold and red.
There's a sort of poetry abroad today,
I know of many people it will please:
Hear the music of cattle-truck wheels in it,
and pistol-shots under Katyn's trees.
Green lawns, good gardens, happy people
in houses round. No need for words
in this calm sunset, under this sky.
I wish I had some crumbs to feed the birds.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Another literate poem.It is sad to think of all those wasted lives, wrecked dreams in the Flanders mud, at Gallipoli, at Stalingrad. And nothing has changed. You may as well feed some crumbs to the birds, at least they don't fight pointlessly.
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very good
you are capable of leading us readers to the heights of an emotion - and yes, the political aspect is significant as well. I loved the last stanza very much!
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Lovely. This piece is very moving, I think it is because you concentrate on the beauty of the world and a simple, elegant structure and yet, there is a background noise of violence. I love the sensible restraint of the stanzas in which you deal directly with violent themes, you do not dwell on them but neither are they discounted. They seem to be accepted as part of the makeup of the world -as much as the sunset, the clouds, your memories.
Beautiful work, I have no real criticisms. The last line is a subtle, glorious affirmation to me (perhaps it is not meant that way) - life goes on, there are birds, people's lives, a man walking and thinking and writing.
Superb.
K. F.
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very moving
you wrote this with such respect, and love as one has knowledge of the deceased, good over all detailed post, thank you for sharing and entering our contest..good luck..MM
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