A message in a bottle (from Sidney, Australia, late 1990s)
I luv a sunburnt country
I luv a sunburnt country,
a land of screaming planes
Which fly above it daily
‘cos the planners have no brains.
I luv her choked horizons,
the toxins in the sea
I luv this little country
It’s a slice of anarchy!!
I love her flattened forests,
(sheets of which are in your hands)
I love her strip mined mountains,
which we’ve sent to other lands.
I love the Queensland coastline,
concrete interspersed with gaps...
but now it’s not our problem!
Cos we’ve sold it to the Japs.
The deroes in the gutters
and the litter in the street,
The addicts and the homeless kids
with cut-up, dirty feet
would be a tad more bearable
if Messrs Hawke and Keating
would act upon the messages
the people keep repeating.
The hatred, muggings, violence,
dereliction and disease,
pollution, prostitution,
and our huge debt overseas
are things that make us legends...
they make our country great!
But we hide behind a Fosters
thinking “Sure... No Worries, Mate!
So where will this land end up –
like the beaches caked in shit?
The natives ran it better
‘ till we kicked them out of it.
WE, readers, are the leaders of the future!
Do not sob;
Commit yourselves to trying hard –
and do a better job.
-- Michael Carlton
(Pred, you are missed. RIP)
Comments
Trying again
let's see if this will post this time.
I saw an article about a message in a bottle.
I did not read it. Would you like to share more about it, or should I google it.
It is a great verse, and it points out that so-called progress has been kind to no man. Should have left the whole planet to the natives for fucking sure.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
It's just a poem. Thanks for reading it dkmich.
I titled the post Message in a Bottle because that's how it felt to me - like the author (who was known to his friends as pred; a story I might tell more about at some point) wrote it from his home in Sidney, in the 1990s, and sent it out into the universe. (Along with some other brilliant writing.)
Then he died, in June 2004, much too soon.
I often re-read some of his writings, especially at that time of year, and this year, this poem just felt like it spoke to me from across the decades and across the ocean, with a message that feels just as relevant for us here and now. Especially the last lines. So I just wanted to share it.
I loved it.
I didn't realize it was personal. Thought it was something floating around FB, so I stole it. I will go back and give attribution. Thank you for sharing it. I would like to hear more.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Thank you, I'm glad you loved it
and shared it ... the ripples of pred's life continue to propagate.
He would like that. I will think about writing more about all this at some point.
That first stanza
could be about our own little sunburnt country, no ?
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Indeed so, Azazello. Especially here in Baja, AZ...
... We live in a very sunburnt land, with a lot of screaming planes over our heads.
Maybe part of why I love this poem so much.
I saw a bumper sticker on a car the other day that said "I love jet engine noise!"
I know that a lot of people around here rely on Davis-Monthan AFB for their livelihood... but really, does anyone love that sound in our skies? Ugh.
Nobody in my neighborhood has a sticker like that.
We live just a mile or so due north of D-M. When the wind is right I can hear reveille when they play it over loudspeakers at 7 am. So yeah, I live with "the sound of freedom," A-10s and C-130s all day long with the occasional Air National Guard F-16. If they base that F-35 here our house will be unlivable and unsellable. Hooray for Freedom!
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
We own a gorgeous stretch of beach on Lake Huron in
northern Michigan. The National Guard decided they wanted to install a bombing range about 20 miles inland to the northwest of us. Shore to shore across the tip of the MI mitt, the whole land area between the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan coasts is maybe 130 miles. They would have in effect, blew up the entire tip of the mitt. It kicked off a war that had landowners fantasizing about anti-aircraft guns on their beaches. Because it is second home/summer cottage turf, land owners come from all over the state. We waged a war that created pissed off constituents in every district in the state. Because the anger was widespread and we caught it early, we won. I remember the Detroit News coming to do a story on me and to take my picture. I said to the guy, please don't make me sound stupid.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
The planes that are based here,
and some that come in from other bases and countries to train, practice bombing and strafing at the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range. I like planespotting when the Heritage Flights are in town and I even like the Thunderbirds, although not everybody shares my opinion. They fly low directly over our house, six F-16s in tight formation.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Loved the poem, thanks for
Loved the poem, thanks for posting it. The guy was a great writer.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Thank you Ellen
He was a brilliant mind, and an amazing writer. I'm so glad you enjoyed the poem.
(No subject)