A Vera Take a Ride

by Lionel Fogarty

Lionel Fogarty

We use to ride emus and dolphins
We now have feathers over our bodys
You in black and me in red
inside a yellow man's dream
start us up we'll never stop
Gonna pump up your sense
Gonna rub in the juice
Is it any black wonder
Is it any white wonder
Trouble and strife making love
They fuss crazies and screaming
neighbours unto strangers
We used to ride emus and dolphins
You've wrecked our living
washing up, drinking, dancing
in engaging struggle, at didgeridoo groaning and straining
You made a grown race cry
You made a grown hate tearer
some are lazy slobs
some are marrying speed
now mean mean machine
open your heart starter
We shine out in the sun
We living scared in being shined
You gotta feel to love
shock dem, sink dem
We are brothers in our own
adolescence maybe cold running
You know chain and reality
now quotes of conversations
come once on a noise breeze
like echoes in the name of
guerrillas in another range
We ride the emu fast
We speak to dolphins for us to ride
when we win the ministry
don't come wondering about
We used to sing martyrs to the harvest
of the leaving fruit
Just circulate passion surrendered
in our consolation of action
ride dat dolphins and emus faster.

From: 
New and Selected Poems





Last updated January 14, 2019