Our holiday to warmer climes is near the end, though we have some whale watching booked before we head back from our third visit to Hervey Bay Queensland. So, here are a few poems I have written since my last post:
Another Anniversary
Some anniversaries are for celebrating
Others mainly for commiserating
The loss of one we loved and mourn
Though knowing death is for all who are born.
My Mum lived a long, long life
Full of joy and plenty of strife
She faced each challenge as it came
But by the end knew dying had no shame.
A heart of gold she surely had
Helping others who had it bad
A streak of independence a strong feature
Never allowing struggles to beat her.
Until her final days did eventuate
When way too much was heaped on her plate
And then by frailty she was beset
The time to finish without regret.
I’m glad for you that all pain is gone
And that you had your time this Earth upon
Shared your labours and your spirit
Enjoyed your life and all who were in it.
Brian Matthews 12-7-25
On the 4th anniversary of my Mum’s death…
And then some doggy poems…
The old dog snoozes
His fifteenth birthday today -
Ah, what a good life.
Brian Matthews 20-7-25
On Riley’s birthday
And a longer poem for the ‘old fella’
Riley’s Fifteen
On his fifteenth birthday
The little dog sleeps
I wonder of what he dreams?
His early life rough
Probably abused
Abandoned in a shelter.
Rescued by a loving one
But circumstances changed
And he came to us.
For ten years one of our family
Looking at his Mum with love
Knowing he is wanted and safe.
Doggy Heaven I call it
Where dogs needs are supreme
Humans just fitting in.
Brian Matthews 20-7-25
And one for our 12 year old, Cavalier Boston Bulldog cross, Basil…
The old dog sleeps on the couch
Tongue hangs out as so few teeth
resting, waiting for his meal -
Then devoured at once.
Brian Matthews 29-7-25
My first attempt at Dodoitsu
Japanese style of poetry 7-7-7-5 syllables, no heading, no rhyming
And another dog-themed Dodoitsu
The two old dogs look at me
Clear questions shown in their eyes
Where is the dinner for us?
Provide it right now!
Brian Matthews 29-7-25
And my son-in-law, Leigh, gave us a lovely surprise by organising a flying weekend visit of our daughter, Ashlea, from South Australia to Queensland…
A Big Surprise
The look on her face
Such a surprise
Bafflement grows into a broad smile.
Crossing half our country
Flying then driving
To spend time with her Mum.
I’m sure this will live
Long in the memories
Of her Mum and her great uncle.
Such a kind gesture
By our son-in-law
Organising the whole thing.
A generous and graceful deed
One that is so appreciated
Allowing time spent together.
Brian Matthews 28-7-25
And my final poem for this post was prompted when I was reading a novel set in the aftermath of a Californian bush fire (Smoke by Michael Brissenden)
Schadenfreude
I read the term ‘disaster porn’
The excitement people feel
Over the catastrophes of others.
Similar to ‘suffering porn’
A commodity that exists
On the TVs of the non suffering.
The fascination in others’ misfortune
Some showing accidents
Others stupidity in driving.
The German language captures this well
With the word ‘schadenfreude’
Pleasure at the misery of another.
I wonder where this fits with empathy
Another common human feature
Not mutually exclusive so it seems.
Showing the complexity of the human condition
That people can feel so deeply their neighbours’ pain
And yet, at times, revel in this.
The critical issue I suggest
Is how close one feels to those affected
The pain of a sister cutting so deep.
The agony of someone from another culture
The misfortune of a careless driver
Allows the distress to be distanced.
‘This could never happen to me’ we think
‘I would never live in that place or do that thing’
Allowing complacency that is not deserved.
For, as with joy, suffering lingers for everyone
Behind a thinly veiled drape
Awaiting an inevitable curtain call.
Brian Matthews 15-8-25
It’s funny what can spark a poem..
I’ll finish with an early morning photo of a Brahmany Kite taken by my wife, Barbara, near the foreshore of Hervey Bay, Queensland…
Brian’s Reflections 