My dear nephew Joshua
On reading poems
On our new and developing website
Where he is published too
Commented that there were many
Entries by the “Laureate”
Which I’ve been called lightheartedly
By Peter Dunn

He’s right there are too many
Of my musings late at night
Some I like , others
Don’t deserve the light of day
So I’ll be pruning as time goes on
Leaving space for the amazing contributors
That have come out of their shells
Penning up words so cleverly

This I can say
I stuck out my neck
Wrote it all down
The good the bad and the ugly
It resonated in our community
People constantly responding
That’s exactly how we feel

So I put out an invitation
That’s all I’ve done
The results speak for themselves
Wonderful and precise reflections
Of our predicament
Sometimes dramatic
With rapid rhythm
Others times retelling a story
Of families in fear of their lives
Rolling verse to hold onto

And then came those
With penetrating insights
Into the souls of all humanity
Written so beautifully with care
Control of syntax and rhyme
Way beyond what I can manage

I think I’ve dug into a mine
Of everybody’s creative potential
So please write on
You excellent poets
Give me the balance
Between my crude beginnings
And your sublime verse

Thank you so much
For entering into this journey
Of finding ourselves again
Through shared words
Written down for prosperity

Don’t consider this to be a poem
But words of thanks
And encouragement
I think Conjola Recovery
Is guaranteed!