Prompt: ANZAC DAY

What makes you nervous?

I can’t march, I watch along,

From the sidewalk in rubber thongs.

Ambling by the veterans wave,

Nation’s blood debt they have paid.

I missed the ballot, a lucky draw,

Escaped the army’s grasping maw.

Relaxed at uni while other blokes fought,

Wrote doggerel poetry on higher thoughts.

.

“My pen, my only weapon”

Nineteen year old suggestion.

Equating ethnicity too,

Thrown in the stew.

.

Nervous? Could be, as I get older

Lay down my anger, temper is colder,

The wisdom of youth passes quickly,

Age unwraps life’s onion, exposes true me.

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What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?

China 🇨🇳 that’s the place I eschew,

I wait for change of political hue,

The land from which i trace descent

Crushes those who politically dissent.

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Claims on Tibet and Uighurs too,

Imperialist designs to name a few.

And then of course south chynna sea,

These claims dont seem quite right to me.

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I’m old enough to still recall,

The tank man showed it worst of all,

Not just the news, so well suppressed,

Where is he now, in peace he rests.

Why Can’t I Write Headlines Like This?

thehobartchinaman uses sassy taglines and cute categories rather than the strength of the story to increase reach.

But what about the headline?

Here’s a [an] headline that caught my attention,

Nick Carter accused of sexually assaulting Melissa Schuman in new suit

“Who the hell is Nick Carter or Melissa Schuman?”

I really don’t care, [neither should you] but they’re drawn together in this headline.

Confused?

Why was Mr Carter wearing a new suit? Does it matter?

Perhaps Ms Schuman was wearing a new suit? Again, does it matter?

For clarification, the article reads :

The legal maneuver against the Backstreet Boys member comes more than five years after Schuman, a one-time member of the group Dream, filed a police report against Carter at the Santa Monica Police Department, but prosecutors did not purse the case at the time.

Not enough money in the purse at the time?

Give Me Break!

What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?

Gone are motor boating, croquet and cricket,

In their time these sports were wicked,

Along with rackets, tug of war and lacrosse,

The IOC saw these sports fogeys off.

.

I wanna watch a modern sport,

Something bout which I’ve never thought.

The latest sport seems most entrancing

In 2024, we’ll have breakdancing

Bottle of Water

Refridgerated fashionably cool,

Up on the Huon Pine table.

But who is it meant to fool

This generational fable.

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When a young laddie, if I was dry,

I’d search for nearby garden tap.

Gulp down the water I canna lie

If bowl nearby my dog could lap.

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Now need a dollar, maybe two,

For bottled water, all the rage.

On fridge shelf with the mountain dew,

Bought the right brand for my image.

complement compliment

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

Living daily as one does,

This time of life’s a gentle buzz,

The solitude within my head,

Strives for peace from what I’ve read.

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No selfies for paid influencing,

Provocation to get jaws yapping,

Rather get psychic release,

By not performing public feats.

.

So best compliments what was they?

Vacuous comments other say.

Seems the best things said of all,

Was stuff that I cannot recall.

thehobartchinaman has written two short stories for your enjoyment and would appreciate your feedback. Try them out at http://www.thehobartchinamancake.wordpress.com and http://www.thetranmerechinaman.wordpress.com

Rain, Blessing or Curse?

Let’s try to dash another off, while waiting in the airport,

Look round for inspiration here, hard gathering my thought.

Rain soaked folk give off a pong assailing all my senses,

No Mum or strong deodorant grants, enough perfumed defenses.

thehobartchinaman has written two short stories for your enjoyment and would appreciate your feedback. Try them out at http://www.thehobartchinamancake.wordpress.com and http://www.thetranmerechinaman.wordpress.com