Archive for the 'Poetry' Category

Haiku #36 Magpie Lark

Magpie Lark struts
Head bob-bobbing along
Looking for its lunch.

(C) 2008 Trevor W. Hampel. All rights reserved.

Magpie Lark

Magpie Lark

Poem #41: Have a Happy Easter

Have a happy Easter

As I did my courier rounds
The day before Good Friday,
Everyone was busy,
Everyone was frantic.
Lines of cars jammed
Supermarket car parks
And service station entrances.
Everyone was rushing to get all their tasks completed,
Everyone was eager to be finished and away.
‘Have a happy Easter,’ was the mantra from everyone I met.
‘Have a happy Easter,’ I’d found myself echoing their words.
What does that mean
To those who are not
|Followers of Christ?
Did they wish me happiness?
Did they wish me joy?
Were they concerned about
My emotional wellbeing?
Was it a genuine desire
Or just a polite end
To our transaction?
‘Have a happy Easter,’
Echoed in my mind.
‘Have a happy Easter,’
Sprang easy from my mouth.
Easter is a holy time,
Sacred to my heart;
Tears of shame and gratitude
As I view Him on the Cross.
Easter is a blessed time,
It is special in my life;
Smiles of joy and happiness
As I view the empty tomb.
Easter is a celebration,
It’s more than just
A break from work.
Easter is a festival,
It’s more than just
A time with family,
A time with friends.
Christ died for me,
For you, for all,
So we could know
True love, no guilt,
No shame.
So we could know
Eternity.

© 2008 Trevor W. Hampel.

All rights reserved.

Poem #40: Easter Eggs

Easter eggs,
Easter eggs,
They’re everywhere in town.
Easter eggs,
Easter eggs,
Chocolatety and brown.

Easter eggs,
Easter eggs,
How I love to munch –
Easter eggs,
Easter eggs,
For breakfast, tea and lunch!

Easter eggs,
Easter eggs,
I have a simple plea –
Easter eggs,
Easter eggs,
Give them ALL to ME!

© 2008 Trevor W. Hampel

All rights reserved.

Updated April 5th 2016.

Poem #39: My Hope

My Hope

A rugged cross upon a hill.
The soldiers know not whom they kill.
The shouting crowd with hatred jeer,
Some lonely friends all filled with fear.

Who was this man upon that tree
Who gave His life to set me free?
He gave His life, His precious Blood,
He is my saviour, friend and God.

He is the victor over sin;
He conquered death my heart to win.
An empty tomb, and faith made strong
Despite the shouts of mocking throng.

My hope is built upon that Cross;
Mine is the gain, His was the loss.
His love for me has won my soul –
Eternity is now my goal.

© 2008 Trevor W. Hampel

All rights reserved.

The problem with writing poetry

“There is no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money, either.” Robert Graves.

I have heard that there are some countries where poets are highly regarded and appreciated, even revered and some even make a living from writing poetry. Australia is not one of those countries. Probably only two or three poets in Australia actually make any decent income from their works.

Publication of poetry is having something of a resurgence in recent years here. More magazines are publishing poetry and individual poets are getting their works into book form. Sadly, most of these books can only be published with government grants and most volumes are bought either by other poets or a few libraries.

I am generally an optimist. One thing I am hopeful about is that one day I will make some money from some of my poems. I have a number of poems written for children. I believe that they would make excellent picture books for young children. This is going to be tough. My lecturer at college advises not to write picture book texts in verse because very few ever get published.

That is just a challenge to me to prove everyone wrong.

Good writing.