An audio recording of my readings on the Words to Share segment with Jan Potter on
Happy FM, https://www.radio901.com.au/ and the details of my readings.
Today’s readings dedicated to Ryder Matthews, one of my grandsons.
Happy birthday Ryder!!
So Ryder’s 10 today!
His party already over
Most presents received.
A bit boring I guess
To have nothing special on
But Pop and BaBa send their love
Thinking of the little baby he was
How fast he’s grown
Too soon launching into the world.
So many will think of you
On this your special day
Hugs aplenty come Christmas.
Love from Pop & BaBa
20-12-22
A Council Meeting
Such careful adherence
To rules of order
So many terms repeated
My eyes glaze over.
The dynamics interesting
Group against group
Denying a team effort
The optimal outcome.
The Chair manages well
Juggling the competing views
A very difficult task
No solution pleasing all.
Can there be a way?
To put the past aside
Or at least the emotions
Bubbling forth at will.
Can the goals be agreed?
A path laid ahead
The ways to reach this accepted
The community kept informed
Time only will tell
How the process moves
Whether enough good will
Can be garnered by all.
Suffering from certainty
On one side or the other
Can only detract from the outcome
Ensuring time is wasted.
Transparency a noble aim
Though difficult to achieve
Let’s hope for some semblance of this
In our District’s future.
Brian Matthews, 29-11-22
Politics Reimagined
It is so heartwarming to see
A Prime Minister we can respect
Reviewing his government’s achievements
In six short months.
While those on the other side
Scowl and grumble
Their former leader now pilloried
And covered in shame.
No government is perfect
But the former one is under a cloud
Preference for big business apparent
Concern for individuals absent.
May we stride forward with pride
Amending laws as needed
To encourage prosperity for all
And social justice for those in need.
A balance in views always needed
Regardless of where you stand
But the goal should always be clear
Equity and a voice for all.
Brian Matthews 2-12-22
Not a Perfect Man
And on this day I reflect
My Father’s birthday comes again
99 he would have been
But 34 years since he passed.
I wonder what he would have thought
About a world connected as it is
Yet simultaneously disconnected
As age old rivalries persist.
He would have still enjoyed a beer
Friendships and family to the fore
Enjoying the laughter of his kin
Taking each day as if his last.
Taken too, too young he was
Never to see his grandchildren grow
Yet a powerful legacy left
Of a warm and generous man.
And yet not all would agree
Those who could not see
Beyond an, at times, brash exterior
To the warmth and love within.
So grateful that I grew to know him
The love and respect beneath the shell
But most did this understand
His actions drowning his words.
A harsh life having made him wary
Of showing the softness within
His deep, deep concern
His generosity and love.
Not a perfect man
But a cut above most I think
There for me whenever needed
And for many others it was so.
Brian Matthews, 13-12-22
Counting the Cost
Sitting in a camp ground
Trying out our new van
The end of the river high
But nowhere near its peak.
So many people displaced
Crops lost aplenty
Stock shifted to higher ground
Houses and shacks flooded.
Months yet till the floods recede
Then a huge cleanup to come
Until all restored to as it was
Sharing tales of what was lost.
And so it is in our wild land
A place of such extremes
Nature gives in such abundance
Then whips it away in a flash.
Planning for such events
Beyond our feeble capacities
The weather, at times, has its way
Leaving so many to count the cost.
People cleaning and rebuilding
Crops replanted and stock replenished
And I sit here pondering
While not affected I feel the loss.
Brian Matthews, 13/12/22
Christmas Poem
Christmas comes once a year
The prelude well extended
While bells ring in the background
And the cash registers resound.
A time of family for many
And friends for others
A rare person where
No family/friend are present.
Sometimes family get togethers
Are uncomfortable for some
But a time of joy for most
Just being with loved ones enough.
And the children
Ah, the children….
Christmas excitement at the fore
Revelling in the little rituals
I hope all will enjoy others
At this special time
When work is put aside for most
And we focus on our kin.
Brian Matthews, 19-12-22
Some Haiku
After some sailing
A shower so welcome now –
Washing the salt off
The small dog jumps down
Too far his beloved Mum –
Dispenser of all
Thinking of a meal
In active preparation –
Taste buds soon will sing
The chilly wind blows
Clouds obscure the sun again –
Summer has hidden
Waiting on the phone
Recorded message repeats –
Reading a book helps
Hearing another
Reveal their tribulations –
Pleasing that it helps
Thinking of sailing
Such a slow day yesterday –
But still such good fun
Bugga the Annex
It is too hard to put up –
Have a beer instead
Rites of Passage
At a country pub
Quite a crowd
Kids all squeaky clean
Hair combed and good clothes
Turns out a primary school graduation
No such thing in my day
Shown the door promptly
And kicked into the high school wasteland
Maybe a tradition stolen
From our American cousins
Or just a natural evolution
Children more praised now.
Rites of passage change
As time marches on
And our world with it
The happy children absorb it all.
Brian Matthews 12/12/22
Another bit of Haiku I squeezed in
The bin sits lonely
It’s lid slightly misaligned –
A pong if opened.
A quote to end my session..
DCI Thursday, Thames Valley Police
Endeavour, Season 8, end of Episode 3
Sun always comes up.
Just gotta hold on for it for a bit longer sometimes, is all.
Brian’s Reflections 