Have you ever really sat and thought
Just where your life has gone
Are you truly happy with yourself
And who you have become?

Do you ever doubt the choices
Made by head or heart
Have you ever felt the need to run
And make a brand new start?

Do you wonder just who others see
When they truly look at you
Do you swear they’d keep their distance
If your darkness was in view

Do you care so much what others think
That you are blind to other things
Does the thought of being rejected
Stop you from doing so many things?

Does any of this matter?
Does anybody care?
Is there anyone else who feels this way?
Anyone, anywhere?

Elise L Turnedge
3rd May 2014

The many natural wonders
That Australia has to show
Mysteriously appearing
So many years ago

Looking up onto the Snowy’s
From the lakes of Jindabyne
You appreciate the beauty
That will stand the test of time

From Katoomba falls to Orphan Rock
The three sisters standing tall
The beautiful Blue Mountains
Where Mother Nature gave her all

Down south of the border
Along the coastline you will see
The apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge
Formed by limestone naturally

The Grampian to the Dandenong’s
Buchan Caves to Wilsons Prom
It makes you wonder when and where
This great beauty came from

Travelling further West
You will wonder what you’ve found
The Blue Lake of Mt Gambier
The colourful Wilpena Pound

Over the Nullarbor you’ll go
Cross the Great Australian Bight
Flinders Ranges far behind you
Slowly fading out of sight

On through the Sterling Ranges
Where the wildflowers abound
Jagged peaks of Granite
Shooting upward from the ground

Then to the Red Centre
The most wondrous place of all
Its colours ever changing
With every day’s nightfall

The Olgas up to Arnhem Land
Devils Marbles, Uluru
Katherine Gorge to Mataranka
Standley Chasm, Kakadu

Over to the Sunshine State
The holiday makers dream
The Barrier Reef, The Daintree
The National Parks of Tambourine

The South Pacific Islands
Blue Waters and white Sands
To the tropical rainforests
Which are further north, inland


Then down to the Apple Isle
With its historic convict past
Cradle Mountain, Derwent Valley
Russell Falls and Tasman’s Arch

The many natural wonders
So majestic and so grand
Make it easy to appreciate
This great Australian Land

Elise L Turnedge
1997

Come on in, take a seat I’ve got something to say
Just wondering can I ask you, how you “really” are today?

The smile you show us outwardly is wonderful and bright
But it’s your eyes that show the sorrow and something has dimmed their light

There is a certain kind of sadness that is bleeding from your skin
You can try and hide it all you like but a friend can see within

Just know that I am here for you when the time for you is right
Maybe it’s not time today for you to share your plight

My ears are here to listen and my shoulders made for tears
My arms were made for hugging and for holding loved ones near

Just know that you are not alone although that’s how it feels
A heart can break so easily, but with time the wounds can heal

Don’t hold back your sadness, let those feelings go
The freedom of release will set you free you know

But if you hold it all inside, and refuse to let it out
It will consume you, overtake you and fill you with self doubt.

Come on in, take a seat I’ve got something to say
Just wondering can I ask you, how you “really” are today?

Elise L Turnedge
10th July 2014

Young Sarah moved through silent streets
Slowly from home to home
“Trick or treat” she coyly asked
Before heading off again alone

Her bag was filled with goodies
But her head was filled with fear
Her footsteps echoed on empty streets
Were they screams that she could hear?

Then up out from the bushes
A hissing black cat flew
Sarah jumped up ten feet high
Her fear and worry grew

She was sure up in the distance
In the house they called “Hell Hill”
She saw the lights flick on and off
The screaming continued still

Terrified of what lay ahead
She continued on her way
Trying to be brave
And not let rumours block her way

Finally she reached the gate
She stopped to gasp for air
“Hell Hill” looked twice as evil
Looking up from way down there

She summoned all her courage
Continued up the drive
She reached the door, rang the bell
Wondered if she would survive

She could hear the footsteps coming
Shuffling slowly down the hall
The doorknob started turning
She puffed her chest and stood up tall

Slowly the door creaked open
She held her eyes shut tight
Opening one and then the other
To an unexpected sight.

For the frail old lady standing there
Was not what she thought she’d see
“Trick or treat” young Sarah asked
The frail old lady smiled with glee

Young lady you have warmed my heart
By visiting my home
I hear that young people are scared to come
So forever I am alone

It has really touched my heart
That you ignored those stories told
For rumours hurt so many
In a world so grim and cold

“Trick or Treat” you asked ne
And a treat for you is due
As you can see I’m old an frail
My time is limited with you

But if you come to visit me
While I live out my last days
My house they call “hell Hill’
Will be yours in future days

With those words young Sarah
Headed back off to her home
Although her treat bag was no fuller
She had gained the greatest thing she’d known

For it wasn’t the house that mattered
It was the lesson that she’d gained
That listening to rumours
Can stop friendships being made.

Elise L Turnedge
31 Oct 1999

He looks in the mirror
And brushes his hair
He sees her reflection
Standing just over there

He speaks words of love
To the cold empty air
He feels her embrace
Even though she’s not there

He still hold her hand
Caresses her skin
With her by his side
His life can begin

He wonders if others
Can still see her there
Life ended too quickly
It just wasn’t fair

Her spirit still lingers
Laughter brightens the halls
Her memory is more
Than just frames on the walls

She is still be his side
Watching over with care
Even though in his sorrow
He knows she’s not there.

Elise L Turnedge
6th Oct 2014