Adelaide
I am hardly a poet by any stretch of the imagination, but on one or two occasions in my life I have never-the-less been inspired enough to put pen to paper.
The following expresses what I was feeling whilst I was preparing to leave Adelaide, after having lived there for 18 years – a very meaningful phase of my life. It still brings a tear to my eye, each time I re-discover, re-read it, and re-remember everything and everyone who made it so special to me. The photo is one I took myself one Easter, just south of Adelaide, South Australia.
ADELAIDE
I came here unprepared
For the stark beauty and harshness of the summer sun
Which burns the lingering clouds away
For the leafy hills that slowly brown and crisp
And yet from which the cooling breezes arise
For the crystal azure beaches still and broad
With sensuous pure sands flowing between my toes
For the market bustling with freshness and life and cheer
Abundant with the fruits of the earth, not so barren here
For the winter showers and gusty hail
Replenishing the parched soil til it overflows
Adelaide I will miss you
I came here unprepared
For the openness, for the friendships, for the camaraderie
For the alternative, the traditional, the blended mixture
Of beings and souls who have wandered alongside me for a while
And which has opened my heart more than I thought it ever could
Adelaide I will miss you
I came here unprepared
To become more human
To become more myself
And to enjoy each moment as it arose
More and more with each passing day
Adelaide I will miss you