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June 24, 2010

I need to apologise to anyone who was looking forward to ‘pearls of wisdom’ from me over the last couple of days. I’ve only really got a half an excuse for yesterday. I generally write at night as I find I write better when I’m tired and last night it was challenging to concentrate on anything useful. It was the night that changed the world, well someone’s world. It was the night we heard rumours of a spill in the leadership of Australia. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd eventually announced there would be a caucus vote this morning and there was so much speculation in the world of Twitter and so much to watch on TV that I just wasn’t able to focus to even type up a poem. Today ended up being a very historical day as we ended up with our first female Prime Minister. Mr Rudd stepped aside and Julia Gillard was voted in and subsequently sworn into the position of Prime Minister. This is a big step for Australia and I admit to being rather distracted last night and this morning.

Anyway, what I would have been posting last night is a poem. It’s not mine and I don’t believe it’s been published anywhere else. The author is a friend of mine from the op shop. Peggy is currently in her eighties, that’s her chronological age and her body age is probably closer to 120, but she has great spirit and keeps going despite everything. She left school at the age of 14 and is totally fascinated with words having done crosswords and other word puzzles for many years. She’s fairly well read and literate and the other day gave the honour of showing me her poems. She doesn’t show many people and as I was rather taken with a couple of them she’s letting me show them both to you. This one was written in 1939.

The Secret

If you can keep a secret
I’ll tell this one to you,
I’ve only told my dolly
And she’s so very true.

She’ll never say a single word
So different from the “Dickie Bird’,
Who tells my Mummy, all I do.

Just bend your head a little low,
I don’t want anyone else to know,
Mummy is sick with a very bad cold
And I want her to see it, before she is told.

I found it tucked in my old cot to-day.
When every-one thought I was out to play,
‘Twill be the biggest surprise Mummy ever has had
And when she has seen it, I’ll show it to Dad.

I’m the only one knows, the stork has been
With the sweetest baby, you ever have seen.

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