Fair Dinkum

Fair dinkum mate,
get off the floor,
stop thinking you're all done!
I know your joints are creaking mate,
its harder now to run.
So, put your feet up and relax,
but don't think its all finished,
your work here is not done,
your race here is not run,
even though your strength diminished.

You think you've failed,
you missed the mark
because you can't count faces?
Because you've stumbled on the track,
because you can't get places?
You've seen the young ones wander off -
you know you've made them stumble-
Well just remember mate,
redemption is my work,
trust me, and just stay humble!
Yes, trust in me to do my work,
to finish what I started,
and get your brain back into gear,
you have not yet departed.

Continue to believe that I can use,
even rusty wrecks like you.
I will decide the future,
when your work here is through!
But until then, relax mate,
and grasp the chances that remain.
You're just a link within the chain,
don't break that link, but just retain
your trust in me,
Fair dinkum!

This poem won second place for the June 2024 poetry contest