Tag: by Tracy Stanley

Read Poem: If this Tree could talk, by Tracy Stanley

Tall, graceful and reaching above the fray
Rich canopy of rustling green
Revealing blue with every sway

White fairy floss floats across the sky
Long, gnarly limbs reach ever high
I long to climb you and see what you can see

To see what you have seen…
During the hundred years
You’ve stood proudly here

You will remember a time long ago
When ships visited these wharves
Loaded high with cargo

They needed to stop to settle their dues
While admiring grand colonnades
And sweeping river views

When the world went to war
You saw the birth of a bridge
From down in the Valley
To the Kangaroo Point ridge

And then there were Yankees
Who sauntered into town
Local girls were very happy
Local boys wore wrinkled frowns

The gentle tat of hammers
Marked the rhythm of each day
You watched and smiled as ships emerged
Were launched and sailed away

Clang- clang, clang-clang
A local tram goes slowly rattling by
While silver birds with commercial logos
Appear more frequently in the sky

Time marches on
And you quietly watch the Brisbane city grow
And then with increasing confidence
The World is invited – to Brisbane’s World Expo

A new boat is built to grace the river
Called the Kookaburra Queen – it’s a paddle steamer
Moving gracefully past you – a lady so elegant
With skirts swishing gently – causing ripples on the river bank

But this gentle flowing river
Has a demon deep inside
Which emerges when a long wet,
coincides with lunar tides

At these times you must hold fast and firm
Onto the riverbank
Knowing calm will come in days ahead
Phew – your lucky stars you will thank

Ah, if you could talk
What stories you would share
As you have seen so much
In your one hundred years standing there

So today we salute you
And recognise your beauty
And your history and significance
In this town – it is our duty

We hope today is not the last
That we will celebrate your birth
As we know with good conditions
You may enjoy another eighty on this earth

But a major storm is coming
That will test you to the core
A building made of shiny steel
Reaching up high – forty seven floors

We hope you can withstand the pain
That will reach deep into your heart
As leaves and roots are cut away
As construction on the tower starts

You are glorious – You are beautiful
We lift our glasses to you here
May you be spared the fate of Caesar
As the Ides of March draws near

Read Poem: Fear of Failure, by Tracy Stanley

Today is the day. Today is your day.
A new job – like a new book – a new chapter.
What will be inside?
Who will you be inside?
This noisy, nuanced and imperfect place.
A few words follow which are wistful and wise. Take heed.

It may take a while for to find your way. DON’T PANIC!
Expect times when you will be lost in the forest,
And others when you will soar high above the fray.

You will find your anchor
When you are preparing for battle and building your alliances.
Now, while these battles may bruise you
They will leave you stronger.

I know there will be nonsense
Like flotsam on the sea.
Accept this and embrace this.
This is organizational life in all its colour and majesty.

And never apologize for asking a question.
Seek what you want and
Recall the words of folk from Northumbria,
‘Shy bairns get nowt.’

And on those long and weary days
When you feel beaten and battered
As if you have, ‘not valued’ tattooed on your forehead,
Recollect that there are few things in life that cannot, not, be fixed,
By positive thinking, poetry and chocolate.

So, keep your friends close and your chocolate closer,
And remember, that you can only fail.
When you hold this thought tight in your hand,
And lift your hand up to the heavens,
It will fly away.