Of the broken land

James Aitchison

(in Australia)

Have you seen those ravaged towns

which failure stopped to drape,

where tin-roofed pubs still struggle

and the barmaid’s skin’s like crêpe?

Have you seen the sacred stockyards

falling sad into decay?

No profit there transacted

For many a long, long day.

Have you seen the names on gates

like an honour roll of time,

where mortgages turned sour,

and faith’s their only crime?

The dairy lies in closure and

the railway’s come and gone.

The old ones still are farming,

but the young have all moved on.

Too many towns have dared to dream

of new and better days.

But let me tell you, friend,

hope falls scarce in summer’s haze.

Published in Issue No. 7, Littera Novus, April 1st, 2025.

James Aitchison is an Australian author and poet whose work has appeared in Australian Poetry, Aesthetica (UK), Black Poppy Review, Scars, Poetry for Mental Health, and the Australian Children's Poetry website.