A bitter people (VB)

 

A bitter people (VB)

 

So I have a serene

Breakfast with the

Turks

 

1 baklava

1 double espresso

1 glass of water

 

& after thinking about

It

I buy a carton of

Sour cherry juice for home

Delicious

 

I should’ve just

Gone home

But I wanted to say “I love you”

To the Indians

Before the

‘sorry business’

Regarding the death

Of my big brother

Tim

I head to

Radelaide/Tarndarnya

Which brings the

Loop back to

Watendlath Tarn, Cumbria

I previously met

Anyway,

I bought an obscenely long

Bent banana with

A gammy bit

At its end,

Me & the guy behind the

Counter

Joked about its size

& girth “by sea”

A joke echoing

Me & an ex lover

 

 

Anyway with a

Chortle in my

Soul

I made my way

To see a protest

March heading ‘away’

From Parliament

House

I thought ‘it’s

Always ‘on’!’

In Carlton.

Melbourne is

Trippin

While the world

Burns

Incidentally the

The march was the

Land management

Crew

You know: bushfires!

No fuckin joke!

Serious tings!

Enough head in the sand, people

About what we’re doing with the country

Anyway I checked

Out who they were

By reading the

Insignia on their briskets

I said

“Safe. Controlled

Burns” (as is

In Indigenous land

Practices here

Going back 65 000 years

Which had

Holistically kept

Country ‘hummin’

They were young white Aussies

The only one

To speak

A young woman

Said “good luck!”

As in sarcasm,

As in Hell would

Freeze over

Before it

Became policy.

Now

Having once, quite recently,

Been a school teacher

I understood

Exasperation &

Frustration

But if you

Think a

‘a cinder in

Snow’s’ chance

Of getting

Anywhere,

Then why are

You marching?

I guess that’s

What protests

Are about.

When dialogue

Ends nowhere.

But Treaty’s comin

Now is the

Time!

& “Good luck”

Should never

Be used as

A curse.

Most of us

Have got it

Comparatively

Better here

Than many

But we’ve gotta

Knock off the

‘slave act’

Coz our

Standard of

Living’s comparatively

High

& bitterness in a

National character

When

Your people

Are the beneficiaries of

Genocide

Is a lie

A put on

Smoke &

Effin mirrors

So talk

Don’t curse.

 

(If you

Wanna say

“Fuck you”

Say “Fuck You”

Not “Good

Luck”.

Then at least

We’ll know

Where we

Stand

 

 

Published & Copyright Malachi Doyle 2025.