Category Archives: hope

Us and Them

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I’m comfortable with you and me –

I’m not so sure about them.

They’re not from here, their clothes are strange,

They’re easy to condemn.

 

They speak some other language too –

I don’t know why they’re here!

And, what is worse, they’ve brought their kids!

Oh God, I need a beer!

 

Let’s banish them to somewhere else

And then we will be fine –

Though who is in and who is out’s

Not easy to define.

 

For not that long ago, you see,

My folks arrived here too.

Somehow, they made this place their home –

Perhaps some more can too?

 

Stephen Tomkins
30 October 18
Brisbane

Hello?

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In the crowd but not of it,

I’m swept along like a leaf.

A floater, fleetingly feeling his way,

Unwittingly seeking relief.

 

I’m part of the crowd but aloof,

Out of hundreds, a singular cell.

Unnoticed, unheard, it’s all somehow absurd,

We each have a story to tell.

 

Vapourisation, some weird conflagration,

Should suddenly cause me to cease,

The crowd, though diminished, flows on to the finish,

Content with its version of peace.

 

Stephen Tomkins
7 October 2018
Osaka

True Love

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Jesus himself died to save us, it’s said.

He submitted so humbly, then rose from the dead.

If, in the world, there were no one but me,

Without hesitation, he’d embrace that tree.

 

Try as I might, I just can’t comprehend

For my sake, Our Lord would from Heaven descend

And, further, for me, to such suffering submit,

Considering me worthy of sin to acquit.

 

Beyond comprehension is such love divine

And yet, for the taking, such love can be mine.

He loves without scruples; He is love itself.

How could I have known I’d be blessed with such wealth?

 

Stephen Tomkins
8 October 2018
Osaka

Life Goes On

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All through the almighty uproar and din,

He patiently waited for life to begin.

He studied and worked and did all that he should,

Did all that they told him, he yearned to be good.

 

And just when he thought he had earned his reward,

It was then that they cut his umbilical cord.

All that he was hissed right out through the hole

And blew him straight into a night black as coal.

 

But when he’d accepted he’d breathed his last breath,

They stopped up the hole and so saved him from death.

Once more, he began to do all that he should,

Do all that they told him, do more than he could.

 

The treadmill continued until he was old

And, hunched by the fire to ward off the cold,

He stared at the fire, entranced by the flames

Recalling his friends – he’d forgotten their names.

 

At last, he could see just how foolish he’d been,

Waiting each day for his life to begin –

His life had been rolling along the whole time.

In spite of the hardships, his life was just fine.

 

Stephen Tomkins
27 September 2018
Sydney

Hang On

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The Pool of Smiles is empty now,

Its fountain has run dry.

The Lake of Tears is full somehow –

It makes me want to cry.

 

Products come with warnings now,

Sharp edges and small parts.

So, sign this full disclaimer vow,

Beware those sudden starts.

 

But life is so damn risky now –

No solace do they give.

The highs, the lows, the undertows,

It’s painful just to live.

 

What’s that? I hear a giggle now,

The sun peeps through the rain.

So, plough on through the vines and boughs,

There’s joy beyond the pain.

 

Stephen Tomkins
18 September 2018
Sydney

Wars

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We talk of battles, we talk of wars;

We fight for each other, we fight for a cause.

And though we might wish to fight goblins or elves,

The real wars are those fought inside of ourselves.

 

Sometimes we don’t know that we’re fighting in there,

And sometimes we’re only too keenly aware –

And though all these battles aren’t fought with a gun,

The battles are real, and the war’s never won.

 

Sometimes, we will feel worn right down to the bone –

Just understand that you’re never alone.

Some battles we’ll win, and some may leave us bruised:

To fight on is the only way we’ll never lose.

 

Stephen Tomkins
11 August 2018
Sydney

Choices

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School-Choice-HQ

Long ago, I’d come to dread

The choices looming up ahead.

Now the intersection’s clear,

The day of reckoning is here.

Soon there’ll be no turning back,

Once I choose the narrow track.

Steep and winding it will be

But it’s the only one for me.

When I pass around the bend,

I’ll not see you again, my friend.

Let no one your decision make –

For only you the path can take.

 

Stephen Tomkins

17 July 2018

Shanghai

Gone Too Soon

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Though we try to understand,

The flowers say it best:

A life in full-bloom plucked away

And hastened to its rest.

 

Straining to articulate,

In vain we seek a voice.

So, we resort to hugs and tears,

As if we had a choice.

 

To void the Reaper’s deathly grin,

We focus on a life –

Thankful for a life well-lived,

It still cuts like a knife.

 

Stephen Tomkins
11 September 2018
Sydney

Take a Chance

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I’ve got your back, you’ve got mine –

Lived that way, life would be fine.

But sadly, that’s not how it works

Though that could be one of life’s sweet perks.

 

We view each other with grim suspicion,

Relying on some weird intuition.

Instead of giving each other a chance,

We engage in some kind of deadly dance.

 

You know, we might just be surprised,

Our neighbourly opinion might be revised.

We might find ourselves a brand-new friend –

One on whom we can depend.

 

And isn’t that what we truly seek,

As from behind our wall we peek?

Lower the drawbridge, the portcullis raise.

Watch the sun break through the haze.

 

Stephen Tomkins
26 July 2018
Sydney

 

 

You’ve Got A Friend

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When you’re down and feeling low,
When life deals you a savage blow,
You know you can depend on me –
My services are all for free.
Just call my name and I’ll be there.
So, you’ll never need despair.

But please don’t call when I’m at work –
My boss would simply go berserk!
And once I get the kids to bed,
(Their baths all done, their stories read)
As long as you live in my town,
You can be sure I’ll be around!

I’m sorry I can’t linger long.
For though your sorrow may be strong,
Tomorrow I’ve an early start –
Let’s quickly mend your broken heart.
And though I seem a part-time friend,
At least my selfie can attend.

Stephen Tomkins
2 April 2018
Perth