I’m tired I tell you, dog tired,
I’m not sure I can quite convey,
That I rested for one nano second,
And I just fell asleep this way.

I’m tired I tell you, dog tired,
I’ve felt like I’m walking uphill,
And now I’ve just seized the odd moment,
To recharge my batteries and chill.

I’m tired I tell you, dog tired,
I’ve been on the move for what seems like days,
I’ve taken this small opportunity
To just fall asleep on this chaise!

I’m tired I tell you, dog tired,
Unless it’s dinner, don’t wake me up!
I just need to catch up on 40 winks,
I’m one tired, exhausted pup!

I love the way you laugh.
Like a peal of handbells
With perfect pitch.
Or the sonorous belly laugh of a wind chime.
And when you laugh until you weep,
So that fat tears, good tears,
Drench your cheeks,
And you shake uncontrollably
With the joy of it.
What about when you are faced with the ridiculous?
So that your laughs scatter
Like gunshots of rapid rifle fire?
And those low chuckles that seem to start
Somewhere near your toes?
Your laughter is medicine, a sunburst, a holiday,
Infectious, inclusive, individual,
As are you.
I just love the way you laugh.

I love the sound of a xylophone,
It has a lovely, mischievous tone,
As does its cousin, the vibraphone,
It has a melody all its own.
And allacazam and AI Carimba!
What about the chords you get from a good marimba?
Or, bless its heart, a glockenspiel,
My enthusiasm for it is quite unreal!
I love all these pieces of percussion,
I’m an aficionado, no discussion!

From Zagreb to Zanzibar,
I want to travel wide and far!
Ride a camel to the Sphinx,
Go to Harry’s Bar – down several drinks.
Climb Machu Picchu for the view,
See the Potala Palace too.
Research what the Great Wall was for,
Go and worship at Borabudur.*
White water raft down the Zambesi,
Take a US road trip, nice and easy.
Visit Shanghai, see the sights,
St Petersburg, for the White Nights.**
Go to Franschoek, taste “the grape”,
Stop in Paris, eat a crepe.
Try some tapas in Seville,
Or go rum tasting in Negril.
Take a walkabout in Aus,
Go to Rio, just because!
From Zagreb to Zanzibar,
I want to travel wide and far!

*pronounced Bora-bador
** White Nights Festival in St Petersburg, Russia

Yesterday represents some bad times past.
Relationships I thought would last.
Times I’m told were full of fun,
But hardship outnumbered that, ten to one.

Today represents us, that’s me and you,fe,
You made everything right when it was askew.
You brought meaning to feeling SA secure,
We are bound by a love enduring and mature.

Yesterday seems full of ills and woes,
Of grief, betrayal, all-time lows.
Of mental cruelty, disrespect,
Of endless attacks on soul and intellect.

Today is joyful, full of hope.
Of sun-filled days that envelope.
Surrounded by those that we adore
And promise of better things in store!

I’ve a passion for percussion,
I love a kettle drum,
I like a snare or high hat,
Something to make my eardrums thrum!
But there is just one instrument,
That stands apart, alone,
And that’s the mellow sound, the tone that comes,
From a wondrous xylophone!

I stopped to marvel at spots of dew,
Clinging to a dragonfly’s wings.
It looked like a delicate lace tattoo,
An intricate structure that kind of sings.
How great is nature at moments like these?
That we can marvel at a simple thing?
No time for introspection, analyses,
As we stop to look at dew on a dragonfly’s wing.

Do you want a biscuit?
Would you like a cake?
Can I tempt you with a scone and jam?
Something else I’ve baked?
Would you like a pudding?
Perhaps a Creme brûlée!
Or can I push a crumble on you?
Or maybe a soufflé?
I’m a temptress in the kitchen!
Lots of effort I’ll exert,
To be a champion pastry chef,
And make a great dessert!

Who are you behind the veil?
I see a woman, ergo frail?

I see a life that’s been hard fought,
I see small successes dearly bought.
I feel the hardship, feel the pain,
That’s haunting, like a sad refrain.
I see tenacity, determination,
A lust for life, for education.
I see a fierce intelligence,
Humility and reticence.
I see a desperate sense of fortitude,
I see friendship forged in solitude.
I see a woman who has compassion,
With love to give, that does not ration.
I see hardship, I see tears,
I see innovators, pioneers.
I see hope of better things,
I see joy, and all that brings.
I see a woman of tungsten steel,
Whose strength’s immense and it is real.
I see a beauty unsurpassed,
I see a legacy that’s sure to last.
I see a woman of courage, of enterprise,
All this I see, just from these eyes.

My mother had a parasol,
Antique and made from lace,
It was of little use at all,
It only just shaded her face,
Oh, give me an umbrella,
Brash, and colourful and loud,
I’m no Cinderella,
I just want shelter from that rain cloud!