THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearances with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not? why not indeed!!" (The wondrous poetpic is by Jack McCabe, who I hope forgives me for scribbling all over it with Photoshop)

BLACKFELLA/WHITEFELLA

When eye was young-shadows in a park/shades.talking,drinking

Land seemed borrowed -to be sold as squares.Those i met

were mixed-race.Full bloods in Arnhem Land.Met a storyteller

His Dreaming was FROG .He knew his land-but his children did not

They did not want to know.Gubba worshiped paper.He had none

All his stories were told him/not sold .They did not belong to him.

He worried that all his Dreaming would die with him

No one wanted to know.No wonder the frogs are leaving

There is no one left to fully listen-to Frog Dreaming..

Until the mid-60s, the Aborigines came under the Flora And Fauna Act, which classified them as animals, not human beings. This also meant that killing an Aborigine meant you weren’t killing a human being, but an animal.