The Price Of Freedom

• Evi Bell, Grade 8, Presbyterian Ladies College
• Poetry
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Word Zone 2016' competition

Stockman: innocent and independent
Blind to the far planet and the price of freedom
Caught in the dust, surviving on the land, as a country
Sent to war, aboard for an ‘Adventure’.

Reveille. The ammunition sweep comes.
Love, hate, bravery, fear, blessed for what they left,
Sacrifices unspoken by wives, mums.
Fighting as comrades, dying as mates. The Last Post.

The sunburnt country dimmed, work dwindled, slow motion
The depression chews through the last few bobs
Neighbour's howl, his mate’s bare face vivid
Comforted by family, grueling though sobs.

We commemorate their courage, a day.
A day we remember their characters
Once a year, the sacrifice rewarded?
Our duty. Our country. Only one day?