A Farewell Note. Comments
I worked so long in the shadow of Bob Menzies,
that I was surprised when he did step down.
After a caucus vote, I stepped up to become
the seventeenth Prime Minister of Australia.
...
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" Then the doctor diagnosed the depression I dreaded, but carefully concealed behind a ready smile. " The narrative is very gripping and the lines extremely thought evoking. The poem left me pondering how maddening the craving for power is. Great poem Sir.
Thanks for your thoughtful assessment and good to see a correction also. 'The craving for power'- I wonder, actually, if Harold Holt had that quality. He had been depressed, with problems in the Liberal Party, and his marriage. That's why I think it was suicide.
Thanks for appreciating the 'different' dramatic monologue, in which I assume the persona of Mr. Holt-'I'. There are great possibilities for this poetic form, I think. Holt's position as PM, and the manner of his drowning, are dramatic in themselves too.
2 – i shy away from calling it poetry but it DOES have 'stanzas'. At least this was much more enjoyable and understandable than many 'poems' i read. ha ha. bri :) at first i was thinking: " was Michael W. prime minister of Australia? " how would i know? but MW is too young and seems to still be alive. p.s. HH was probably picked up by a submarine, deposited on some ultramodern private resort island and is currently surrounded by a bevy of beautiful broads.
In the dramatic monologue you pretend to be the character who you are writing about. Hence the first-person 'I' (Holt) . It's also called the persona. It is actually not to hard to write in this form if you can imagine yourself being someone else. It all follows from there, rather like acting.
1 – i might agree with this comment: " Kelly Kurt (3/25/2015 4: 11: 00 PM) Thank you for sharing this, Michael. Very poignant." .....if only i was sure of the meaning of " poignant" ! really. i only use a limited number of words. :) a nicely-flowing account.
Thanks for your brief but adequate comment. Please see above (to Bri) my comments on the dramatic monologue.
Interesting piece. I remember " White Australia" policy. My parents migrated & my brothers & sisters became Australian citizens. The same migration system of " points" prevented me & my children from being accepted as migrants, my x-husband lacked a mere 5 points that forever separated me from my family.
You make interesting, personal opinions here. You knew the system of 'White Australia' firsthand. A policy long since abandoned.
Why did I allow a second inquiry into the 'Voyager? ' I was eventually proved right about that sinking. Then the doctor diagnosed the depression I dreaded, but carefully concealed behind a ready smile. Fine poem
So imaginative. To put yourself in the shoes of someone else so brilliantly takes great writing skills. Thank you so much for your comments.
Yes, the dramatic monologue does require exactly that-to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Browning is the master of that form. You make a subtle observation.
Thanks for your encouraging comment. I liked to think that the words were powerful.
'well-known for its high waves and rip currents. I decided to swim there, with a shoulder injury, although my friends begged me not to risk it. I waded into the shallows, then swam into the deep, letting the current decide my fate, not sure if I even wanted to return to the far-off shore. I was alone in the water I had always loved and when I saw high waves about to embrace me, ' this is the siren call, the sea embraces and tests us, in moments of return to the living womb
You have quoted some of the best lines, which are just before the final tragic moment. You are right; the sea certainly does test us and I think it can be dangerous with rip tides and very high breakers. We certainly need lifeguards and orange flags.
Great to read your words of Harold Holt. Difficult for family when the true cause of death is not certain. todays politics: - Bill shorten appears to be drowning at present. Thank You
It reminds me of March when I went to see a comedian and he started describing a city he went to uni in, without mentioning its name. I knew it from the very first description, 'Australia's 16th largest city', because I was born there and had checked it up only days before because I wanted to find out the larger ones. He went on and on and finally I yelled out the name to put an end to it, and it happened to synchronise exactly with when he actually named it., 'Toowoomba'. Good one, Michael. I remember him as a breath of fresh air after Bob. The televised search is still there too as an early memory.
You show a precise, detailed memory for those events of long ago. Thanks.
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7/18/2025 4:21:28 AM # 1.0.0
I was alone in the water I had always loved and when I saw high waves about to embrace me, I knew it was all over..... lovely works