In his last and
conscious moments
what did Gough think
of the state of this place
over which he long since
had no say but ever
since has shifted
and twisted and turned
towards the modern way?
Can we then imagine
this place without his rapid
days of awesome
and awkward change
that created this progressive land
that ever since has
struggled to truly find itself?
What did he write
about his legacy that
remains hidden from
most who never cared to know,
or now are not interested
in the subtle effects of history?
In his last and conscious moments,
how would Gough see the world
that we have created in the South?
And how would he view the
stuttering progress on so
many turbulent fronts
that were for him simple truths?
for Edward Gough Whitlam,
visionary and Prime Minister of Australia
23/11/2016