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Posts Tagged ‘Respect’

I Am Not Your Tourist

Posted in General, Personal, poetry, Travel Diary, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on Jul 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »


I am not your tourist –

I don’t rock up in your town

Ignorant of what you have to offer;

No thought, no care, no research,

Only an “entertain me” attitude.

I am not your tourist –

I don’t expect you to speak English

To me in your own home,

And I don’t treat you like an imbecile

If you don’t.

I am not your tourist –

I don’t disregard or disrespect

Your customs and codes of behaviour;

I don’t complain about your prices

Or your food or your idiosyncrasies.

I am not your tourist –

I value you for what you are

With all that history and culture;

And willingness to share

What I have been searching for.

I am not your tourist.

I am your guest.

I am your student.

I am your admirer.

I am your friend.

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But Will We?

Posted in Personal, poetry, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on Apr 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »


When this is over,
Will we still display humility,
And value the simple things
We have, rather than strive
Aimlessly, shamelessly for more?

We can,
But will we?

When this is over,
Will we still show the respect,
Gratitude and appreciation
For those once unregarded folk
Who keep us safe and healthy?

We can,
But will we?

When this is over,
Will we still show empathy,
Tolerance and compassion,
Qualities mislaid in recent years,
For those less fortunate?

We can,
But will we?

When this is over,
Will we still relish nature’s gifts?
Listen to the thrilling birdsong,
Smell the spring blossom,
And nurture our fragile planet?

We can,
But will we?

When this is over,
Will we still view the world afresh,
And accept our true place in it,
As mutual partners, not masters,
And, by doing so, secure our future?

We can,
But will we?

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