An Ode From Portsmouth
Ships sailed
But we were on it
The bankers
Liked the new digs
Needing labour
And numbers
To
keep out the others
France, Russia ……
We prayed for deliverance
From this banishment
But our cries fell flat
Disappearing
into the void
We cried
But our tears
Dried on the wood
As we waved goodbye to Portsmouth
Our
mouths gaped
But a gentle song stirred
quietly
And in us we bore, not just our
pain
But hope
We cried but rustled in the winds of change
We found a new heritage
Beneath the Southern Cross
And
laid our lives down
As a foundation for
a strong nation
Lit up by the glory of
the Son of God
Who reigns amongst us.
