Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

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Terry
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Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Terry » Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:14 am

I wrote the first three stanza's of this poem as homework eighteen months to two years ago,
and as it fits Maureen's suggestions I have decided to try and complete it.

THE LAST GOODBYE

Now it’s faded memories we cling to at the old bush halls,
where the silent tread of long brave dead still echoes through their walls.
Gone is the dawn of our golden youth and gone are small towns too,
swept away by hopeless, wasteful war - the life that we once knew.

Never more the sounds of old bush bands will lift this pall of gloom,
though the aged oil lamps are hanging still from walls of each main room.
There what seems like long ago we danced on polished jarrah floors,
now it’s only hollow silence that awaits beyond their doors.

There are ghostly streets in countless towns where seldom footsteps pass
and the empty shops stare eerily through dust smeared panes of glass.
Sadness now hangs in the air that only time may wash away,
yet the passing years may never ease the heartache felt today.

For the world was changed forever and our way of life as well,
as the threat of war hung over us to cast its deathly spell.
Pleas to help the mother country soon rung out across the land,
with the urgent call to join the fight led by a spruiker’s band.

So the beat of drums and rousing words enticed men off to war,
and they rushed off to the larger towns to join up by the score.
With their mates they tramped the dusty streets; excitement ruled the day,
with the promise of adventure not the price that they might pay.

We had waved farewell to those young men who marched away to war,
and the tramp of feet departing then will haunt us evermore.
For the cream of youth marched with them destined for a manmade hell,
on a foreign beach or muddy field, cut down by shot and shell.

So those brave young men had sailed away to face an unknown fate,
unaware what lay ahead or of the legend they’d create.
But a dreadful price was paid - a generation near wiped out
and the brutal truth exposed to show what war is all about.

Families were torn by grief then at the news they soon would learn,
that their sons and husbands are among the men who won’t return.
Now the wives of those who gave their lives must raise their young alone,
and the silent tears of brides to be are shed now hope has flown,

And the country was left shattered all our hopes and dreams were gone,
after years of sweat and toil to build a future to pass on.
Sadness seems to haunt the streets of towns where children had once played,
and a nation reeled in shock then at the price this country paid.

Now the old bush halls stand silent as we pause to count the cost
and the small towns are deserted with so many young men lost.
Resting now in lonely graves, so far from home and all they knew
and we mourn them to this day – their loss, we will forever rue.

On the dusty streets of countless towns, old memories may fade,
never though will we forget, the sacrifice so many made.
Like a last goodbye to those brave men who sailed away to war,
monuments in every town – record the pain this country bore.

+++++++++

©T.E. Piggott

Neville Briggs
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Neville Briggs » Tue Nov 10, 2020 3:39 pm

You've done well Terry. You have the right mood and pace for the subject. The world was certainly changed forever. Every small town had its monument to those who fell in war. If you are into competitions that would be a good one to submit for judging.
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

Terry
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Terry » Tue Nov 10, 2020 11:23 pm

Thanks Neville

Even in my lifetime I've seen many of those old halls and even more small towns disappear.
Yet the the monuments still remain, although sometimes hard to find, but they're still there if you look.
We've all heard and grown up with the stories and the history of those days,
and I've tried to imagine how it really was back then, especially in the small towns.

Terry

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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Neville Briggs » Wed Nov 11, 2020 7:47 am

Talking about old monuments Terry, I've today also been inducted into the ancient and noble order of the great=grandfathership. :lol: :lol:
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

Terry
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Terry » Wed Nov 11, 2020 10:01 am

Now that is a monumental achievement Neville - Congratulations mate.

Terry

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Catherine Lee
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Catherine Lee » Wed Nov 11, 2020 12:54 pm

This is a wonderful poem, Terry. The empty halls are evoked with such poignancy, and I can see myself standing in them with goose bumps, feeling the emptiness and listening for that 'echo through the walls'. You say you've tried to imagine how it really was, and you have succeeded - and taken us right there along with you! I totally agree with Neville that this is a prime candidate to enter in a competition!

And while I'm here - Neville....Congratulations to you on the induction into your new role - you must be so happy and proud!

Terry
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Terry » Wed Nov 11, 2020 2:44 pm

Thanks Catherine

I rarely write war poems and even then I usually keep the fighting part to a minimum,
and concentrate more on the consequences, and how war affects everyone - there are no winners really.

Regards

Terry

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Shelley Hansen
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Shelley Hansen » Thu Nov 12, 2020 7:06 pm

Couldn't agree more, Terry - look at the legacy of last century that followed the "war to end all wars"! A very thought-provoking poem from your pen.

Congratulations g-g-Neville! Great news!
Shelley Hansen
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fer 'atin' never paid no dividends."
(CJ Dennis "The Mooch o' Life")

Neville Briggs
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Neville Briggs » Fri Nov 13, 2020 8:33 am

Thanks Catherine, Shelley. :)
Neville
" Prose is description, poetry is presence " Les Murray.

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: Homework 23/11/2020 'The Last Goodbye'

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Tue Nov 17, 2020 12:25 pm

Glad you took the time to finish it Terry - and look at it now - a wonderful write and a true capture of so many of our country towns, with their halls containing a list of those who gave their lives for their country and often so many from the one family which I find particularly heartbreaking. I am in particular reminded by your poem of that other poem titled "A picture on the wall". Both IMO top class poems. I wonder how many elaborately framed photos are squirrelled away in trunks/attics/sheds of those young men who went to war - unknown to the current generation and with none left to tell their story.
This is where we poets come into our own I think, because we can create a memory in words that resonates with so many.
Check out The Scribbly Bark Poets blog site here -
http://scribblybarkpoetry.blogspot.com.au/


I may not always succeed in making a difference, but I will go to my grave knowing I at least tried.

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