ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

One Man

© David Campbell, 20/10/16

You have to wonder how one man
(I cannot speak his name)
has found a platform where he can,
without a sense of shame,
malign so many, lacking thought
for damage he might cause
with language that has clearly sought
to close so many doors.

Yet still the lesson is not learned,
his ego won’t allow
acceptance of the bridges burned
in such a way that now
so many people that he knew
as friends have walked away,
despairing at his point of view,
and what he’s had to say.

Respect is such a fragile thing,
it takes long years to build,
but when ill-tempered words take wing
it’s very quickly killed.
It vanishes without a trace,
as if it’s never been,
and there is just an empty space,
a memory wiped clean.

But still the ugly words remain,
intemperate debris,
an epitaph of acid rain
for all the world to see.
So even worse, it’s very clear,
is harm that he has done
to standards that we must hold dear,
which means that no-one's won.

Good one David and I am sure there are many people - even non Americans suffering from the DT's - lt's to be hoped that the suffering is of a short duration.

Be nice to have all mankind genuinely care about each other and have everyone's interests at heart and not just their agenda.

Thanks for sharing it with us David.


Merv.

Well said, David - and sadly, all too true.

We see it in the field of politics (of course), but also far too often in entertainment, sport, the corporate and academic world, and even in our own daily life encounters.

Those who engage in such bad behaviour should learn the truth of the old saying ... empty vessels make the most noise!!!

And how very true it is that the bitter taste persists long after the sound of the clashing cymbals have died! You put it so well ...

But still the ugly words remain,
intemperate debris,
an epitaph of acid rain
for all the world to see

Cheers
Shelley

Excellent poem, David. How true are these words:

Respect is such a fragile thing,
it takes long years to build,
but when ill-tempered words take wing
it’s very quickly killed.

As for your an epitaph of acid rain - brilliant!... Just love that line.... Ugly words do indeed remain - there is so much truth in this poem.

Thanks, all!

Maureen: As far as the DTs are concerned, I doubt that the suffering will be short in America. If he loses, as seems likely, he'll kick up such a storm of "I was robbed!" whingeing that his nuttier supporters could follow the "pitchforks and torches time" rabble-rousing of that Milwaukee sheriff. No telling where that might lead!

Merv: Sadly, for some people their agenda blinds them to everything else.

Shelley and Catherine: Yes, there's no shortage of empty vessels around and, in this internet age, the words don't go away. Neither do the consequences. And congratulations to you both on the Ipswich results...two powerful poems with important messages for us all.

Cheers
David

Thank you so much David - and congratulations to you too for your HC in Ipswich with a poignant and powerful piece. I especially like the addition of the "dirge" between the main verses - so effective!

Catherine's winning poem is a bottler, isn't it? A first prize well-deserved indeed! (Congratulations, Catherine!!)

Cheers
Shelley

Thank you so much once again Shelley and David - and congratulations to both of you too! I am thrilled to bits, particularly as my pen has been somewhat slow this year, to say the least, so it was an enormous boost!