The battle from my bubble to yours
- Zeandri Rodes
- Apr 25, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 30, 2020
I've missed Christmas, New Year, Valentine, Birthdays and basically the entire summer (for those in the Southern Hemisphere), but if there was ever a day to return to my stories, writing and blogging it is today.
I've lived in New Zealand for almost three years now and I won't go into the rollercoaster that it has been. With that said it does mean that I would do it over again in a heartbeat because what kid doesn't love a good roller coaster. It took me three years and a trip to my uncle in Wellington to realise how incredible this weekend is. I'll explain a little more after the poem though. Have a read and as always let me know what you think.
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THE BATTLE
They battle on the frontline
They battle what we cannot
They battle for those at risk,
who feel like they don’t have a shot
They are in the world
They are out of their homes
Some not returning till it is all over
Some feeling all alone
They battle on the frontline
a fight we cannot comprehend
Some getting hit in the process
Some with hearts that will take long to mend
Through the fog
we struggle to see
the men and women
like you and me
Who were once heroes
but of a different kind
Who lost friends in battle
Who lost friends to their own mind
History has been here once before
and today we will not forget
the brave soldiers who marched ahead
into what was then the biggest threat
Today we salute the troops
both in our streets and in their homes
Doctors, nurses, delivery men and more
ANZAC troops, families, generations
not alone
Today we thank you
We acknowledge your loss
Today we also look ahead
as we appreciate what everything cost
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So I said I would explain a little more, here goes. The trip to Wellington included a visit to the Gallipoli exhibit in Te Papa Museum and it quite literally changed my perspective on ANZAC day. As an immigrant from South Africa, I never understood the weight of the battle until that day. So firstly I want to thank the artists and everyone involved in the exhibit because it is phenomenal. My experience that day, along with the news that public ANZAC day services will not be held for the first time in history this year, inspired me to write from my heart again for the first time in 6 months.
It also recently got me thinking on the similarities between their fight and the one we face today. Our frontline don't carry weapons and they didn't sign up for danger, but they are still out there fighting for us. To that, I say, "I respect you, I thank you and I salute you!"
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