(In the style of Patience Strong)
Do you recall
The Berlin Wall
And its Israeli counterpart?
*
It is in an innocuous street like this
That such monstrosities start.
'My house', 'my yard', 'my property'
Declared for all to see.
A blocking-out of others;
A desire for privacy.
Now privacy is well and good
In certain times and places;
We all desire some modesty
In very definite cases.
But racism is a very high fence
That's very hard to scale;
And racism results in people
Fighting tooth and nail.
All of us feel a qualm or two
When facing someone 'strange';
Different from us in many ways,
Someone outside our range.
But the putting-up of fences
Is not the way to go.
Start by looking over your fence
And simply saying
'Hallo'.
*
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DECEMBER 2010
(And it still applies, in 2011!)
Oh December, December! Dids't thou forget!
We were promised 'heat' and you've given us 'wet'!
Australia is a drought-and-fire land!
Just now we look as green as Ireland!
Rain! Rain! Rain! We're completely sodden!
We're a dry country! But thou hast forgodden!
*
