Our family is really, really, really wanting to find a new place to rent in the country, within 50 minutes of Tullamarine. In putting together a newspaper ad I ended up writing a poem! With a little help from Tim (quite a bit actually) we turned it into more than just words on paper, check it out.
Obviously written after Kevin Rudd was deposed as Australia’s Prime Minister – he made history by being the first elected P.M. not to make it through his first term and Julia Gillard made history at the same time by becoming Australia’s first female Prime Minister. Wow, two history making moments in one event! An event I just had to capture in poetry.
At first I was quite happy about Gillard deposing Rudd - if an election had been called right then and there I probably would have voted Gillard and Labor! However, now that euphoria has cooled and I’ve looked back on what happened and how it happened, I have reservations. Add to that Labor’s policies, or lack thereof, on Asylum Seekers, Climate Change and Mining Tax (which I wouldn’t mind actually if the money was then going to be used to research and set up sustainable and viable environmentally friendly energy alternatives, farming, business, housing, infrastructure etc) to name a few and I find I am very unhappy with Labor.
So now I watch and wait and research all the other candidates for this election because, although I am unhappy with Labor, I can’t say I’m over the moon about any of the other political offerings in Australia at the moment either!
Click on Gillard Versus Rudd to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
This poem came to me one day while I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes. I had a sheet of paper in a plastic sleeve stuck to the window in front of the sink so I could read inspiring and encouraging scripture verses to myself (when I remembered) while washing dishes.
I read Isaiah 41:10, ‘Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.’ It was like God speaking to me, reminding me that he is with me, he is holding me up, I can trust him, there is no need to be afraid. I don’t know about you, but this is definitely something I need to be reminded of on a regular basis.
The first draft of this poem was originally written in December 2007 at a time when life was still a huge struggle for us – it’s better now because we trust God more, are more relaxed in the place God has us and not fighting against it like we were, we now know some of what we are dealing with and with God’s help, handle it a lot better and things have just got slowly better.
Click on Don’t Be Afraid to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
This is just a very quick and very late update (like about a year!) - I have published my first book! Self published that is. My wonderful husband did all the graphic and layout stuff, while I provided the words. I meant to put this out ages ago, but i don’t have the link yet that allows you to view the book of poetry online at Lulu. Anyway, I’m going to put this in now and then I’ll pester my husband to help me put the link in! 
If you can’t wait for me to get my act together, you could try searching the Lulu site for “Soaring on Eagles’ Wings” which is the title of my poetry book. You will find some of the poems on Eve’s Daughter in the book too.
This poem is a rant about our political system and what I’ve seen and heard over the years. To be honest, I don’t know all that much about politics, it’s never been an area of fascination for me – I’ve tried watching parliament on the ABC, but I just found that dull and boring. Obviously I missed all the fun bits where they attack and belittle each other with dry wit and sarcasm!
And this in itself is something about Aussie Politics that makes me doubt the politicians we have elected. I mean, these people are meant to be running our country, we trust them with our lives, with our future and yet they behave like immature kids in the schoolyard! How can I trust these people to do a good job?! They are meant to be running the country, deciding what is good and right for Australia and the people who live here, not continually finding fault with each other and bickering like children!
Mostly, when it comes to Aussie Politics, I just feel abhorrence at the arrogance of these people who run our country and decide our future, who are so out of touch with the reality that the rest of Australia faces. I mean, how can they be in touch? They spend half their lives in Canberra which is not ordinary at all, they don’t hang out with us ordinary people and I suspect that most of them are on a wage that is significantly higher than the average ordinary person. Perhaps they should try living on an ordinary wage and see how far that gets them! Or try living on a disability pension or a carer’s pension.
And then there are all the extras they get. I wonder, do they have to pay fringe benefits tax? And the pension a retired P.M. gets, well I think that’s just disgusting. Why do we pay them so much? Do they actually do a good enough job that warrants paying them that much? Originally our politicians didn’t get paid at all, they did it because they loved this country and wanted it and its people to do well. Maybe that’s why our Aussie Pollies are such a sad bunch; perhaps if the wage was smaller, we’d actually be getting people in parliament who really did care and weren’t just after a lucrative retirement fund!
I know that this isn’t the case for all politicians. I know that there are many who do care and who are not in it for the money. I’m sure this is true but I don’t know who they are. And I’m sure that Gillard and Abbott and all the others are not that bad at all, it’s just that they do seem to be out of touch with the ordinary Aussies and it really does seem like there are things going on in Aussie Politics that are all about power and money, not about what is actually good for this country.
So I apologise in advance to any politicians who are not like this and who really do care about Australia and her people.
As I have said, this poem is a rant and is my opinion, not necessarily based on fact, just hearsay, media and rumour and my personal feelings.
One thing I do know and have noticed more and more as I’ve grown older (and hopefully wiser) is that voting is a responsibility, something to be taken seriously and not just a waste of my time. I have the responsibility of deciding who I will vote for, researching the policies and platforms of the different parties and deciding who I think will do the best job at running our country. And not just my future, but that of all Australians!
Voting at this election has sure been made a lot harder by the lack of good choices out there! I’m not happy with Labor, nor do I like Liberal, the Greens and I only really agree on the environment, the Nationals are a country Liberal Party and the DLP and CDP, the “Christian” parties are known for their infighting and stupidity which leaves me with Family First who is also making news by making unwise inflammatory comments, proving to the rest of Australia again why you don’t want to vote for these Christian nutters! And to top that all off, I am even more cynical of politics and politicians in 2010 than I was in 2007.
So who on earth do I vote for?!
Click on Aussie Politics to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
This poem was inspired by the article “Not Much is Going to Change at the Top” by Brian Toohey on p.63 of The Weekend Australian Financial Review, June 25-27. It was the first article I’d read since Gillard toppled Rudd that was not glowing with the possibilities of change from our new Prime Minister. And from what I’ve seen so far, I have to say, I think he might be right.
I was hoping to get this up much sooner, but having one chronically ill husband, one difficult Aspie 9 year old not coping with pressure, another as yet undiagnosed Aspie 7 year old (both home educated) and a 4 year old, all with food issues (so quick take aways or meals in jars are just not an option) kind of cuts into my writing time! I am now getting up earlier and going to bed earlier (as of tonight) and really hoping that will help.
Click on Not Much Is Going To Change At The Top to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
Here is the epic poem ‘Save the Whales’. It is inspired by tomorrow’s vote by the IWC to allow limited commercial whaling. Saying no to commercial whaling is not just about saving the whales, it is also about saving our world.
Click on Save the Whales to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
This poem was written after we’d had a night out at, you guessed it, Circus Latino!
It was a great night, and overall, apart from a rather large hiccup with Xav at the start, we had a great night and really enjoyed ourselves at the circus. The acts were fantastic and the boys raved for weeks about Circus Latino and they would love to go again (so would I) and who knows, perhaps we shall.
To read more about our night out at Circus Latino, check out the post Circus Latino on www.thegreatadventure.info
You can also find Circus Latino on My Space and Face Book - of course you can only find them there if you’re already a MySpacer or FaceBooker yourself. Or you can find them on the web at www.circuslatino.com.
Click on “A Night At Circus Latino” to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
I wrote the first draft of this poem on 29th September, 2007 and wrote the final copy on 8th October, 2007. Through the book ‘Captivating’ by Stasi & John Eldredge I have been discovering how much beauty means to God and I wanted to write a poem that captured beauty and also captured the beauty of woman and how special a woman is to God. “My Daughter” started out life entitled ‘Woman’.
However, God had other plans; He opened up a wound; a wound I discovered after a day at my parents’ house with the boys and without Tim. I used the ‘Captivating Guided Journal’ to help me work through this wound. The path of restoration led to a place where you ask Jesus to come and heal you. You listen for his voice and hear what he is saying to you. And then you ask God to father you. Part of the prayer says ‘…Reveal your love for me. Tell me what I mean to you…’
The poem “My Daughter” was his answer to me. Every time I read this poem, and I read it every few days, I am in awe, I am amazed; not by my talent, but by the love God has poured out for me. And I believe this poem is not just God’s words for me, but for every woman alive.
Click on “My Daughter” to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.
This poem was first written on 17th September, 2007 after a visit to the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
We met up with the boys Grandparents for a picnic - it was a beautiful day and I was inspired. The poem was written while I was at Brydon’s taekwondo grading which we went to after having our picnic. I found it kinda interesting, I was just scribbling a few notes so I could remember what we did and what it was like and it came out as a poem!
I’ve also written a post about the day that you’ll find on our “Adventure” site (www.thegreatadventure.into) so click on A Day At The Children’s Garden to read this post in a new window.
Click on “The Children’s Garden” to open the poem in a new window.
The poem is in Adobe Acrobat format. If you can’t open the poem, then you can download a free reader.