Now I see ...

The war 
or so I thought, 
was over there 
- while here 
I sat and squabbled 
stubborn, unyielding, 
persisting for principle, 
with the small, the stingy, 
the petty cruel abusers, 
but now ... 
now I see: 
they were as vicious 
determined and powerful 
as any other evil, 
and their aim 
was to keep the fight 
and people 
here 
distracted, half hearted, 
weakening the there 
by weakening the here 
- a campaign unknown, 
but still as real, 
still as valid 
as any Ain Jalut, Talas, 
or Lille, 
a struggle willed 
against them 
as much as they 
against we, 
and they .. 
the losers ... 

Copyright © Kayleen White, Wiradjuri and Widjabul-Wiabol woman of the Lost Generations, 2025 (where this date is different to the year of publication, it is because I did the post some time ago and then used the scheduling feature to delay publication). I take these photographs and undertake these writings – and the sharing of them – for the sake of my self expression. I am under no particular illusions as to their literary or artistic merit, and ask only that any readers do not have any undue expectations. If you consider me wrong, then publish me – with full credit and due financial recompense, of course :) 

NO AI I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product. Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/   

Where are they?

Where are they 
- those opportunities 
promised by those who say 
"oh you should have no trouble finding something", 
- or the life supporting justice, 
feeding and clothing and paying bills, 
promised by those who say 
"oh you shouldn't have to work or do", 
Where are 
whatever it was 
that led to those distancing lies?  
Or was the distancing the point? 

Copyright © Kayleen White, Wiradjuri and Widjabul-Wiabol woman of the Lost Generations, 2025 (where this date is different to the year of publication, it is because I did the post some time ago and then used the scheduling feature to delay publication). I take these photographs and undertake these writings – and the sharing of them – for the sake of my self expression. I am under no particular illusions as to their literary or artistic merit, and ask only that any readers do not have any undue expectations. If you consider me wrong, then publish me – with full credit and due financial recompense, of course :) 

NO AI I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product. Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Two score years ago ...

Two score years ago 
I came here 
to seek nice, rainy days 
in a warm room, 
gazing out at the rain.  

Two score years ago, 
and now that day is here.  

Copyright © Kayleen White, Wiradjuri and Widjabul-Wiabol woman of the Lost Generations, 2025 (where this date is different to the year of publication, it is because I did the post some time ago and then used the scheduling feature to delay publication). I take these photographs and undertake these writings – and the sharing of them – for the sake of my self expression. I am under no particular illusions as to their literary or artistic merit, and ask only that any readers do not have any undue expectations. If you consider me wrong, then publish me – with full credit and due financial recompense, of course :) 

NO AI I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product. Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/   

Some local (urban) nightscapes

 

 

Copyright © Kayleen White, Wiradjuri and Widjabul-Wiabol woman of the Lost Generations, 2025 (where this date is different to the year of publication, it is because I did the post some time ago and then used the scheduling feature to delay publication). I take these photographs and undertake these writings – and the sharing of them – for the sake of my self expression. I am under no particular illusions as to their literary or artistic merit, and ask only that any readers do not have any undue expectations. If you consider me wrong, then publish me – with full credit and due financial recompense, of course :) 

NO AI I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product. Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/   

Here it comes again ...

Here it comes again 
- solitude ... 
aloneness ... 
pointlessness ...  

i am good at doing 
precisely two things 
- and neither matter 
in this world 

- this world which has said 
so clearly and precisely 
- especially in workplace
performance reviews 
how ordinary I am ...  

this world which sets 
such barriers to life 
and living well 
- or living ...  

maybe those who survive 
to whatever out future is 
will remember to do 
better.  

 

 

This is obviously about my personal state of being given some life circumstances: what it doesn't cover is that I am taking action to address both state of being and circumstances - actions which don't fit into a free verse self expression. For anyone distressed by this poem, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 
 

 

Copyright © Kayleen White, Wiradjuri and Widjabul-Wiabol woman of the Lost Generations, 2025 (where this date is different to the year of publication, it is because I did the post some time ago and then used the scheduling feature to delay publication). I take these photographs and undertake these writings – and the sharing of them – for the sake of my self expression. I am under no particular illusions as to their literary or artistic merit, and ask only that any readers do not have any undue expectations. If you consider me wrong, then publish me – with full credit and due financial recompense, of course :) 

NO AI I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product. Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/