12.3.07

Our Poetry in Paradise

We have a Poetry Club on the Gold Coast for poets and the lovers of poetry. We meet every 3rd Sunday of the month in one of the most beautiful spots you can imagine.It is on the veranda of a teahouse that is sat in a tropical garden with colourful birds tweeting all around us.We have afternoon tea served and listen to poetry our members read, some of which are very good.

The other day our Bob read a poem you must read.It has a message I completely concur with, so I have added it here.Bob also played the Didgeridoo for us.An aboriginal instrument that is very hard to use, and he has done a wonderful job on it.

Also, our Joan has made a web page for our Poetry club and I am inserting its link. Go and have a look, and if you live in on the Gold Coast or nearby, why not join us, even if you are only a listener.

Here is Bob's poem:

Being Old By Bob Dever

I have a regular chats with m grandkids Where tantalizing subjects just seem to unfold The other day one of them innocently asked ‘Grandpa, do you like being old?”

a ticklish question if ever I heard one My answer had to leave them with no doubt I didn’t have to agonise over it for long I guess mu feelings, just flooded out.

I would never trade my amazing friends For less grey hair or a latter belly I’ve shared a rewarding life, with wonderful memories Not like that rubbish served up on the telly.

As I’ve aged, I have become my own friend Yes, I reckon I’ve become kinder to my self I’m less critical and more tolerant of other points of view Quite content to be blessed with good health.

I don’t chide myself or eating that extra bickie Or for not making my bed when I oughta Or buying that silly cement goanna, I really didn’t need That looks so avant garde out on my veranda.

I am entitled to overeat and love something sweet And to be messy, or extravagant with a little fling I have seen too many dear friends, leave this world too soon Before they understood the freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read till late And having a nanny nap doesn’t mean your over the hill I will dance with myself to those wonderful tones of the 50’s And if I wish to shed a tear, over lost love, I will.

I know that sometimes, I can be quite forgetful But then again, some things in life are better forgotten I eventually remember the really important things And learnt how to cop we my heart was broken.

How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one Or when you see a small child suffering But broken hearts are what give us strength and compassion And the experience to cope with understanding.

I am blessed to have lived long enough for mu hair to turn grey To have my youthful laugh lines forever etched in to my face So many have died before their hair turned silver So many never laughed, before they lost the race.

I find as you get older, it is easier to be positive You care less about what others think when you make a stand I don’t question myself, I’ve earned the right to be wrong Confident my loving family will understand.

So to answer the question, I like being old It has set me free and I am at ease with that I like the person that I have become I can say yes… or I can say no… and mean it.

I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here I’ll not waste time lamenting, of what could have been Or worrying about what will be, as it certainly will be For the time that’s left, my mates and I can still dream

For the fest time in my life, I don’t have to give a reason To do the things that I feel, I want to do I have put in a lot of time helping other people So I can be a bit selfish, and not fell guilt too.

If I want to play games on the computer all day Or lie on the couch and watch old movies then I might And if I don’t want to go to the beach or go shopping Then I consider that I have earned that right.

I sometimes feel sorry for the young ones these days They face a far different world from the one I knew When I was growing up we were taught to fear the law You always, looked after your mate in a blue.

We respected the old…the flag… and our country There was a lot more to life than just building wealth And I never felt the need to use filthy language While simply trying to express myself.

I am grateful to have been born, when I was Into a kinder, gentler world, with principles to uphold So the answer to your original question is Yes…I really do like… being this old,

Bob Dever 14.12.06

Renate

Artist, poet & the Author of -

From the Promised Land to the Lucky Country.


Bicurim feast in the kibbutz highschool
Hi Walter and Annette, Thanks for the feedback. Pleased you enjoyed reading it. What happened to the boat, comes in a period after the book ends and maybe a part of the next book...