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By AnonymSteven Herrick
After the war I was going to make up for lost time. But the time I spent away, it's still lost. No matter what I do, it stays lost.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I’m alone with the ghost of the swamp, somewhere near the weeping willows.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I'm drinking away the exam results that don't take me anywhere.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I work hard in the orchard, not for the money anymore, but for something I can't explain. Something worth more than money.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
My father said to remember your enemies as well as your friends, and don't trust either of them.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
She taught me what's important, and what isn't. And I've never forgotten. And that's what mothers do, I say.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Two Arts degrees does not a life make.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
And I feel like a real Dad when I read to her at night. She won't sleep without one story, at least.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
As I stood on the lonely backroad, I'm sure I heard birds, kookaburras, laughing ...
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
But when I look at this farm I keep thinking it's not whether I have the guts to go but if I have the guts to stay.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Cowards don't always hide. Sometimes, they're so gutless they need to stand out.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Emma says after I was born I cried for days. She said I'd never shut up which is funny really because Dad says I never shut up now so maybe that's what happens, you get born and act the same your whole life.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
He hands the page to his wife and looks across the room to Colleen's picture, listening to her absence, breathing deeply the air she can't share.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
He looks again towards the door, expecting Mum to walk in and remind him of something he's forgotten. He smiles awkwardly. 'Is that it, Dad? I've got to go.' 'Your Mum said I should mention ... um ... satisfaction.' 'What!' 'She said young men should know things, should be told things so that the girl won't be ...' his eyes plead for understanding, '... disappointed.' [...] 'No worries, Dad. My biology teacher said I was a natural.' Dad looks confused. 'I'm kidding, Dad.' [...] Poor bloke, having to do the dirty work while Mum's off with her gang. 'Dad? What did Grandpa tell you about sex?' 'He said if I got a girl pregnant, he'd kill me.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Her body begs to be taken away and put into a warm bed with the sheets pulled high, even though nothing can help now.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I decide to make the most of the time we got left before she gets too big for this small town.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I know that today, with a full tank, and with Annabel, that it's time to go.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I'm not sure if my dream is a dream, or a nightmare.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I rush to her side and touch her cold skin, hoping against hope for a pulse.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I tell him about ... Jack and Annabel, smart and ready and I'm wondering where all that smart comes from and I figure some from parents, some from school, and some from a place inside you.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I tell him everything as we walk. Maybe so he won't be disappointed being born into a place like this.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
It was a good apple too. A good apple, picked by a madman on a full moon night.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
I've tried praying. It gives me comfort. But not as much as a cup of tea and a ginger nut biscuit.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Nobody in school is stronger than me. But when Sally Holmes kissed me, I never felt so weak in all my life.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Our great adventure ran out of petrol and stopped on this farm.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
People say the beach is the great equaliser Who are they kidding? Sit at Bondi and watch the boys flex And the girls walk bolt upright It looks like a nightmare episode of Baywatch. The true equaliser is the mountain cold And stacks of cold flung together Maybe then we’d listen to what each other is saying Instead of checking out the best bods. And as I wrap another layer Around my Size 10 I think of Jack’s favourite saying: “today’s tan is tomorrow’s cancer” I walk outside And whistle at the wind.
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By AnonymSteven Herrick
Pretty girls kissed me on victory day, their lips soft red petals brushing my face.
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