Life #6: Social Climbing
Dangling deep down in the dungeon of a Swiss crevasse
I had fallen through the jaws of a glacial morass
Precariously below
A huge overhang of snow
It could crush me any moment, that murderous mass
…
Life #5: Social Europa
Absolutely last travellers’ cheques, cashed in for a flat
On a tiny attic floor, could not swing a cat
Soon London became us
With the 88 bus
Local pubs and a Tube station; how good was all that?
…
Life #4: Social Exploration
We slumped on the plane, staring blindly into spaces
Silently reflecting on farewell embraces
Ophie and I, twenty-four
The whole world to explore
While tears were trickling down red-eyed faces
…
Life #3: Social Graduation
My mother wanted me to be a bookkeeper
Leave school, get a job, fend off the grim reaper
And then settle down
In my country hometown
The more she suggested, my heels dug deeper
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Life #2: Social Evolution
Farming defined my father; his character, his crutch
With land and community, totally in touch
A farmer through and through
It was all that he knew
So when we left the farm, he grieved it very much
…
Life #1: Social Heritage
Here’s the story of my heritage, in Aotearoa
When lives were primitive, harder and slower
My family forebears
Were farming pioneers
Bought a farm in Ohauiti, and made it a goer
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Warfare #7: Social Subversion
Beyond every crisis, are quiet deeds hidden
A profusion of wars, many motives misgiven
For power and prominence
Subversive dominance
Covert, clandestine, classified, forbidden
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Warfare #6: Social Harvest
The golden grain glistens, under deep blue sky
Symbolised in the flags, that they proudly fly
Shimmering fields
Of record yields
That ravenous nations, would normally buy
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Warfare #5: Social Horrors
When once a young man, I slung on my rucksack
To explore the world, now it’s time to look back
I still remember the war zones
And their bone chilling grave stones
From Gallipoli, Normandy, to the Kokoda Track
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Warfare #4: Social History
I’m thinking of my Russian friends from a long time ago
And of this Ukraine war, what atrocities do they know
Rostaslav and Gennady
Georgy and Anatoly
I once worked with them all, deep in downtown Moscow
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Warfare #3: Social Roulette
A letter to all you courageous Ukrainians
Families terrorised with missiles raining in
On our television screens
You’re being blown to smithereens
Our hearts go out from all us Australians
…
Warfare #2: Social Chameleon
Dear Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
You’ve stood up to Putin’s brutal campaign
You’ve inspired your people
To stare down his evil
You’ve fronted your country while missiles rain
…
Warfare #1: Social Invasion
Dear Vladimir, your cronies, and wealthy oligarchs
Stop bombing Ukraine, and tearing its people apart
Your military might
Will not win the fight
For sovereignty over their minds and hearts
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Meltdown #28: Social Democracy
The people have spoken, we heard them shout
The Liberals have faced an electoral rout
Justice has been done
Democracy has won
It was a laggard government, and we’ve thrown them out
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Meltdown #27: Social Affliction
Dear Scott … can your leadership get any worse
Not ordering enough test kits is beyond perverse
You ignored the prediction
Of the rate of affliction
We’re falling like flies with this Omicron curse
…