Last night I went for a drive to collect some eucalyptus seeds so that I can grow some seedlings to plant trees for koala corridors. It was just on dusk and the tawny frogmouth was sitting peacefully on the driveway. I got out of my ute and approached him. Then he majestically flew off into the night. This is the message that he left with me last night.
The Tawny Frogmouth came again last night and said,
“I hate to be a pain, but prohibition is is causing harm to livers and damage to the brain”
There are so many people who want to medicate themself,
but they can’t get real medicine so end up damaging their health”
Cannabis is prohibited but cures cancer and also pain
Magic mushrooms cure depression, reset and reactivate your brain
DMT is made by your lungs, in your pineal gland, in roots and bark of trees for free
It is one of the most endogenously produced and healing substances denied from you and me
Alcohol is a poison and damages your liver and brain
But marketed and freely sold, prohibition is insane”
The Tawny Frogmouth said, “take a long hard look at yourself
Why prohibit medicines but sell what is bad for your health?
We tawny frogmouths wonder if you humans are sane?
Why do you drink alcohol which damages yous kidneys and your brain
You would be better off without alcohol,” the tawny frogmouth said
But magic mushrooms, cannabis, harmaline and DMT grow new brain cells in your head
“I am a psychedelic tawny frogmouth, I just love and wish you well
And that you recover from your alcoholism that makes you unwell and your life hell. ”
Please, I love you, please, I love you, I’ll ask you once again
Please care and nurture your own health, I am crying here in pain”
The Tawny frogmouth came last night and this is what he said,
“Please stop drinking alcohol, ” I heard him in my head.
More animal poetry is on the way when I listen to what the animals say
I’ve finished writing “Seahorse Medicine for future humans” and my next step is to illustrate, edit and format for print but that takes time and money both of which are stretched thin at the moment. However, I do keep on writing and now have enough poetry for a second book of children’s animal poetry (Seahorse Medicine Too Grow) as well as begining on a third collection called “Seahorse Medicine Three: Animals speak through me.”
The following poems will be included in the third book
The Bush Turkey
The Bush turkey is a nurturing man
Hatches the eggs because he can
In the forest
Scratch around
Pile the leaves
Bush turkey mound
Raises the kids
For his wife
Father nurtures
New young life
Feels the temperature
Neck of yellow
Patient waiting
Until chicks cheep, “hello”
“Daddy, daddy we love you”
For all the nurturing
You do”
Bush turkey
With a head of red
Yellow necklace
Powerful legs
Wings of Black
Lustre Shine
You nurture life
You are
Divine
Brother Bush turkey
Came toward me
His three sisters hid away
He’d come over as a decoy
To protect his sisters
What a boy
There was dad
Working hard
Big yellow neck
Scratching hard
With powerful legs
Adjust the temperature
Incubating eggs
Gentle men
Care and protect
Nurture family
And respect life
Just like a Bush turkey
Soldier Crabs 1
Sensitive and strong
With armour of blue
Left right left right
How do you
Not trip over
With so many legs
Running all together
And not tangle your legs?
Tiny Birds
Little tiny birds fly towards the light
To escape the darkness and when they’re closed inside
Up towards the heaven where the sun lights up the sky
Little birds swoop and soar towards the light up high
The following poetry was written by James Arthur Warren AKA Thundercloud in memory of Daniel Walmsley, victim of prohibition. Early one morning, the day before the Nimbin Mardi Grass cannabis law reform protestival I walked outside in the dark as the first light was coming. I heard the tawny frogmouth and listened. Then I went inside and wrote down what came to mind. This happened two more times and now I present the words of the wise owl to you.
There is an indigenous belief that tawny frogmouths are messengers of the dead. This spirit bird crowed three times, before the roosters and the kookaburra early in the morning. When the cock crows three times the truth is told.
The Tawny Frogmouth On Prohibition
The tawny frogmouth came to me very late last night
It was very early morning and it spoke very quiet
“I’ve something important to say and this is my position
Humans will not be free until you END PROHIBITION
I’m a tawny frogmouth owl and I see your frustration
With the punitive justice drug war of incarceration
77,000 non criminal users each year locked and jailed
And crime rates have risen the drug war has failed
80 percent of the injustice system is wasted each year
Locking up people for flowers you people are queer
It is obvious to all that prohibition has failed
When you can harm minimise and empty half the jails
Make access safe and clean drugs a right
Save billions of taxpayers dollars overnight
The police could focus on violent crime
Harm minimisation means there’s less people dying
Harm minimisation means that you support the abusers
Educate and rehabilitate the hard drug abusers
Less Overdoses and violent crime gangs will fade away
Grow herbs freely at home, juice cannabis each day
It is obvious to us that you must End Prohibition
Call all politicians today is your mission
And explain all the benefits of ending the war
On drugs, children, the sick, elderly and poor
Write emails, make videos, protest and shout
End prohibition, let the prisoners out
Time to end prohibition and the drug war
On the socially vulnerable, sick, black and poor
It makes me so mad I’m usually so quiet
Said the tawny frogmouth, I want to sleep now it’s light
The Tawny Frogmouth part 2
The tawny frogmouth came to me early in the morning
As the clouds turned red, as the sun was dawning
The wise old owl hooted and the words he spoke were true
“I’m a tawny frogmouth owl, this is what you need to do”
“Write down what I tell you, what I have to say,
It’s time you humans ended all drug prohibition today
Us tawny frogmouth owls are spirits of the dead
Who died from overdoses and systemic violence” he said
“I know you find it weird and difficult to believe
But tawny frogmouth owls are loved ones that you grieve”
“That is why I’m here with my message for you
Ending Prohibition will save loved ones lives it’s true
I’m a tawny frogmouth owl and I really give a hoot
Prohibition harms but harm minimization is beaut”
I stood there quietly listening to what the wise owl said
“End all prohibition and harm minimization instead
When you end all prohibition everything will be alright
Maybe then” the tawny frogmouth said, “I’ll get some sleep at night”
A kookaburra came in the light of early morning
“Listen to the tawny frogmouth, listen to his warning”
“To end all prohibition and empty half the jails
Change your outdated laws because prohibition has failed”
The kookaburra flew off laughing “Prohibition is a failure”
End all prohibition, hurry up Australia”
The Tawny Frogmouth part 3
The tawny frogmouth owl came to me again
Said, “I’ve got a very important message for you my friend
I’ve come to visit you early in the morning
Because you are the one who will sound my warning
We wise owls think you humans are very strange
You seem so conservative and reluctant to embrace change
Your outdated laws are causing much frustration
Time to End Prohibition and change this situation
It isn’t rocket science in fact is plain to see
That your prohibition laws take people’s rights to be
Healthy, free and happy and lock them in a prison
Jails full of poor and black, incarceration rates have risen
Mummy went to jail, Nana went there too
All because of the herbal cannabis they grew
Prohibition is an attack on human rights
It is such an injustice, I have trouble sleeping at night
Humans do you get it? I do I’m an owl
Adopt harm minimization and end prohibition now
Prohibition is social manipulation, slavery in disguise
Prohibition causes violent crime to rise
When prohibition exists people live in fear
Of truth and being caught, imprisoned for a year
Please call your politicians the tawny frogmouth said
When you harm minimise, I can go to bed
Please reconsider your perspective on prohibition of drugs
Free the plants and herbs and undercut the thugs
When you end prohibition there will be a reduction in crime
With harm minimization, there will be less parents crying
When you end prohibition billions of dollars will be saved
Less cops, prisons, lawyers, deaths, more health and happiness every day
I have nearly finished, I’ll try to have a sleep
But I find it very difficult because I often weep
For the victims of the drug war, those overdosed and dead
Brothers, sisters, children’s deaths preventable he said
I’m a tawny frogmouth owl and there is something you must do
Harm minimise, end prohibition now what I’m saying is true
Everyone can see prohibition is a failure
End prohibition now change is good Australia
There is one more thing, you cannot waste your vote
Put a 1 next to the HEMP PARTY in the Senate when you vote.”
#auspol #EndProhibition #MinimiseHarm #Vote1HEMP
Thundercloud’s book End Prohibition Poetry Nimbin
has been updated and added to in this
2020
This poem and many more are available in my newest book Poetry to End Prohibition 420 2020 edition which I am currently crowd funding to print and release the book by the 20th of April 2020 in time for the 420 international day of protest against prohibition.
James Arthur Warren (BSc AES, GCTSL, MTESOL)
AKA Thundercloud Repairian
email:1english1@gmail.com
Writer, poet, performer and finalist in the 2019 Banjo Paterson Australian Poetry Competition
Photo: Tawny Frogmouth in front of Atlantis by James Arthur Warren https://www.instagram.com/1english1video/
Thundercloud Repairian 