little boxes

voted today.

walked up the path of heathridge primary and politely refused the several sheets of propaganda that were thrust towards me.

as a entered the registration room i felt overwhelmed with gratitude to my forefathers who laid down their lives so that today, i could have my say in who runs our beautiful state.

i picked up the pencil in my private cardboard booth. firstly the referendum. no & no. gees, i hope i don't win. shopping on sundays would be really handy. but somehow i know that i already go shopping too much and i am desperatly trying to shake the lure of consumerism.

now, my chance to say who should be in power. hmmm. no idea. no... not one. i look down at the little boxes awaiting my numbers and ask god for devine inspiration (whilst feeling slightly guitly to my sacrificial forefathers that i haven't even bothered to research this). not one of those little boxes opened it's mouth and called 'pick me' so i folded my sheets and dropped them in the slots.

as i walked back up the path i started crying.

i love australia.

i learnt first hand 4 weeks ago the power that politians do play in peoples lives. if a poor 10 year old girl in cambodia gets sick the government does nothing. no doctors, no hospitals nothing. if an 8 year old boy wants to learn to read and write but his mum can't afford school the government does nothing. if a man looses his legs to a land mine and can no longer work the government does nothing. the choices of the poor in cambodia are begging and prostitution and the government dosn't seem to give a shit. the choices of the poor in australia are black and gold or homebrand.

thank-you god that who ever wins this election i'm not likely to fall into poverty. if i get sick someone will look after me. if i become disabled, i'll get centre link. if my husband dies i'll have an income. my kids will be given an education and we won't have to worry about starving.

i did a donkey because i simply don't know who's best. but to whoever wins, may god bless you as you work to heal our land. - charlie