Just back from dinner
With Bill Shorten.
Made me regret
My days of courtin’
Were long gone.
Whereupon
I thought about
Old PJK!
I have to say
That in my day
He was okay.
He loved Anita.
No one sweeter
About his love.
That I do recall
About young Paul
Who fought back
In 1993
To give us all
Three more years
Of sanity.

Of course Julia
Is different.
And Kevin was peculiar.
Bill (her knight errant?)
In defeating him
Has himself diminished.
But he’s not finished.
Not at all.
Like young Paul
He’ll have his day.
Meanwhile let’s pray
For Labor’s
Golden lads
And lassies
Who still lust
For power.
Grant them and us
Their hour,
Before, like PJK,
They come to dust.