Phony

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Australian poet, Australian traditional poetry, Cell Phones, Internet, Internet addiction, limerick, Limerick poem, Limerick poetry, Mobile phones, Phone addiction, poem, poetry, Social media addiction

They might as well be popping pills
As they trip on their internet thrills.
As they sit on their bums
And the data stream numbs –
Conversation, technology kills.

Beating the Tweeting

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Australian poet, Donald Trump tweets, Donald Trump's policies, limerick, Limerick poem, Limerick poetry, poem, poetry

He’s trying to clean up the mess –
His policies, I must confess,
I think are world-beating,
And as for his tweeting;
I honestly couldn’t care less.

Common Origin

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Australian poet, limerick, Limerick poem, Limerick poetry, origin of Homo Sapiens, poem, poetry, racism

You’re special because of your race?
I doubt that you have a strong case.
Go back far enough –
We’re made from the same stuff,
And we came from the very same place.

The Greater Fear

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Australian poet, Beirut - Paris of the Middle East, islam, Islamic infiltration, Islamization, Jihadists, poem, poetry, Political Correctness

A Judgement on Paris

Beirut – once Paris of the East,
Until Mohammed’s flock increased.
Soon Paris, as the fiends infest,
Will be the Beirut of the West.

It seems that when it comes to human nature, the greater fear will always win out. One would think that the recent bombing in Manchester, added to the long list of Islamic terrorist atrocities over the past decades, would be enough to make people in the West afraid of the rise of radical Islam in their countries, and vocal about it, but the majority it seems still have that much greater fear – the fear of not being thought of as good and virtuous or even worse. (but then, is there anything worse than that these days?) And of course this is a well-founded fear: If you wish to keep your job, particularly if you work in the public service or for a large or perhaps even small corporation, then you had better not hit the “like” button on that anti-Islamic terrorism Facebook post, or even worse, actually “share” such a post or – horror of horrors – post a supporting comment! You may get away with that sort of behaviour for a while but eventually one of your workmates who happens to be a Facebook “friend” will snitch on you to the boss, or word will just get around. If you are lucky you will get carpeted and receive a good dressing down and instructions to alter your online behaviour and to keep your bigoted opinions to yourself – more likely you’ll get the sack. And what about your friends? Expressing your distrust of some Muslims and anger about Islamization is almost as bad as admitting that you support Donald Trump or that you think Anthropogenic Climate Change is a scam. So this “Greater Fear”, although being illogical in the long run, (inaction against the threat will obviously end in copious tears) is in many ways perfectly rational in the short term. So what will it take for the fear that should be perceived as by far the greatest – Islamization preceded by terror, to actually become the greatest in people’s minds and therefore acted on by the powers that be? How many more Manchesters will it take? Perhaps the recent French election gives us some clues: The French have been battered from pillar to post by Islamic terror for decades, and are seeing the gradual but certain disintegration of their nation and its social structure, but still managed to elect someone who will do absolutely nothing about it – except probably make things worse. If the French are any guide, then it seems that in the West the instinct of self-preservation has surrendered to what is now a much greater force – the fear of being socially isolated.

The Pink Bits

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Australian Imperial Forces, Australian poet, Australian traditional poetry, Colonialism, poem, poetry, The British Empire, The Pink Bits

It was in an imperial army he fought;
For the pink bits were ours, and that’s what he was taught.
Now the pink bits are gone and they’ll never come back,
For they’ve fallen, and festered, and faded to black.

Failed Continent

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African failed states, Australian poet, limerick, Limerick poem, Limerick poetry, poem, poetry, Post-colonial Africa

Africa – man what a mess!
Colonialism – I guess
It sought to enlighten;
It’s gone, now there’s fightin’;
They just couldn’t handle progress.

The Getting of Wisdom

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Australian poet, Australian traditional poetry, limerick, Limerick poem, Limerick poetry, poem, poetry, Wisdom

The young are now wise, we are told.
Indeed, some are clever, some bold;
And our praise they may earn,
But in time they will learn
That the wise are invariably – old.

Anti-Gun Culture (an ANZAC Day sonnet)

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Anti-gun movement, ANZAC Day, australian formal poetry, Australian poet, Australian traditional poetry, Gun culture, poem, poetry, sonnet, Spenserian sonnet

“So you have guns – my god, you must be nuts!
I couldn’t bring myself to hunt and kill,
For I’m allergic to all blood and guts,
And when I see it, down my spine a chill
It travels, and I have to take a pill.
I think all senseless shooting should be banned.
I’ll campaign for disarmament until
There’s not a single gun throughout the land.
If necessary, from your cold dead hand
I’ll take your gun if you will not comply.
This is my cause – I hope you understand.”
“Your threat is clear – and yes, I’d rather die;
My life and liberty I owe to guns
Once wielded by my country’s bravest sons.”

Low Profile

Tags

Australian poet, Australian traditional poetry, censorship, epigram, poem, poetry

If you wish to stay airborne and wish to fly far,
It is best that you fly underneath the radar.

An Axe Attack

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australian formal poetry, Australian poet, Australian traditional poetry, Bashar Assad, ISIS, Islamic State, islamic Terrorism, jihad, poem, poetry, Spenserian sonnet, Syria, Syrian attack, Tomahawk missile attack

Assad it seems has been cut down to size;
With tomahawks they’ve given him the chop.
And only time will tell if this was wise
And whether further limbs they’ll have to lop.
(Once pruning starts it can be hard to stop)
Will weakening Assad pay dividends? –
America’s now playing the world’s cop –
But backing crazies? – Oops! I mean our friends!
Well was this justified? Well it depends:
The Russians say the rebels were the cause,
But Trump’s attack the White House now defends.
Miscalculations sometimes lead to wars;
It’s best to know the truth before one acts –
Let’s hope Trump’s in possession of the facts.