John Howard’s lament

First published in Al-Moharer Issue 187, 6/8/2004
http://www.al-moharer.net/mohhtm/tomlinson-187

also published in Green Left Weekly No.600 29^th September 2004

also in New Community Quarterly Vol.2 No.3 Spring 2004 p.46

Won’t you come back MS Tampa,
won’t you come back to our shore.
Bring us the old and the hungry,
your crippled and troubled what’s more.

Please scan the high seas for more refugees
and bring us the sick and the restless.
Please search the world wide for the desperate
for those who are starving or homeless.

Labor is making such headway
and it’s time to settle the score.
I can’t afford too much leeway,
so bring us your hungry and  poor.

There are so many racist electors
whom I’d really love to appease.
So turn your ship round and don’t run aground,
please take heed I need more refugees.

We promise this time to be gentle,
we’ll offer them all TPVs
that will last until the election
after that they’ll be failed refugees.