When tough brown grass
Grows at my feet
And ghost gum trees
Haunt my vision sweet
I am in Australia
When bandicoots rustle
In the deep scruffy bush
And the wallabies leap
When through scrub I push
I am in Australia.
When the kookaburras laughter
Is in the fresh clean air
And wombats peer
From deep earthy lairs
I am in Australia.
When loggers drive past my door
I look out and see the bush no more
Coined animals seen only in zoos
As we wonder what we should do
Am I in Australia?
Where the sheep were proudly shorn
And Aussie colours worn
The paddocks now lie empty
While Aussie dollars tendered
From far off foreign shores.
Lawson and Patterson mourn
And the Snowy River screams
Koalas hide in roof tops
While the roos went to the dogs
Where is Australia now?
I think of Australia back then
And look at Australia now
My eyes widen at the mess
The country is made to bow
To everything not Australian
Where are our Aussie battlers?
O spirit of our ANZACs
Aussie born through tough lives forged
Where has gone the fair go?
Where is Australia now?
Author notes
A-muse-in-writer
This is a poem I wrote a while back. At times I get frustrated at the politicians not supporting Australians and our own businesses and culture. That and my continued disgust at the blatant destruction of our natural environment.
A contest entry
- prewritten contest for all of these groups take a look by serenity silvermoon.
550 points, ended February 3, 69 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - PreWrite contest for my favorites/AP family/and group!!! by Kathraina.
1055 points, ended February 15, 290 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Important Issues by pinksnowboots.
570 points, ended February 19, 67 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - round one (for everyone) prewrite contest ENTER ENTER ENTER (AND YES THAT MEAN'S YOU too by serenity silvermoon.
927 points, ended February 16, 1509 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think?
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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Judged-ola!
powerful write with a lot of emotion. seems the whole world is going to mechanics instead of nature. -
kind of ironic cause i just watched the movie australlia last night.. so sad that it took them so many years to apologize for what happened after the war.. just this last year apparently..
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bravo!
Exactly...Where has the world gone? It has gone to corn farmers, industry, and more space for humans. What a mess we have made! We all should be ashamed.
We should get off our duffs and stop this slaugher of land and natural habitats. We are the unnatural ones that seem to think we can control everything.
Why? Because we think we can.
But, Irony strikes again...We are so much in control that it is killing us!
Betsy Holzner
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I love this piece. Your heart and soul ovbiously went into this.
"And the Snowy River screams.'
You've put so much or our culture into this piece, using such awesome imagery to portray it.
I understand that we need to evolve in order to move on as a Nation, but at what price? Once we have melded our culture and landscape to mirror another's, then will it be enough? Great piece and a great topic. Well done and good luck in the contest.
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wow!!! this is stunning. a really sad but so beautiful description of Australia. IM ALSO AUSTRALIAN! w00000000t!!
yer, its changed alot here.
x -
I love this!!! I love the way you wrote it... showing us what it used to be, and what it is today. Your voice in this is strong and shows how much you care, and what you think. Seems that this sort of thing is happening all over the world, and that is the sad thing. That is why, these issues are so important, why I did the children's book, "The Voices From the Rain Forest"
This is one that you should post all over in Australia and let everyone there see! This is amazing! One of your best!
and love
Nyetta
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