Views in Verse on Restoration

The Light

The light does surely leave us surreal

Enveloping dark therein;

Jousting thoughts can lead us on

Until sleep will rightly claim.

Therein the joy and the fear commix,

A tumbling pitch
Imagination’s game.

But the blink of an eye

A revival swells;

Out of bewiderment breaks

…a clean, bright new day!

Darkest trials now put to rest

Virtuality guides you on, beckoning

“come …come along  ...come this way”

Grahame J Flynn Views-in-Verse Copyright

Views in Verse on 'ambition'

The Sanguine Journeyman

While the narcissists among us

Are said to rule the world

Whatever in turn becomes of their kindred's plight?

For those, who co-exist, is there a subtle twist?

Whatever helps to get you through the night?

For fate is a four-letter word, ambition a noble curse.

Yet if chance crowned me,

Banquo’s ghost would sure to laugh out loud

ill-placed trust leads man to an early hearse.

Pleasing one’s masters, true

Is an exercise in vain

They'll singularly proclaim their exalted position.

Taking credit as they may,

With every passing day.

Yet failure is met with little or no contrition.

One might say ambition feeds the soul…

But if this is all that matters in a world of disbelief

Then it’s a long long way to the top just to get a chiko roll !

Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on restitution

VENICE

She came to Venice ancient city

Seeking shelter from her seas

Throwing wide her troubled life

To new discovery

Questions of the past

To find some answers for today

Seeking reawakening...

And staving off decay

Stepping into St Marc's Square

The rain came belting down

She was wetted fully through 

once she'd made her way cross town

A fresh baptism was to be

The ideal starting place

For this private quest

This pilgrimage...

This enchanted chase

Sad lady open up 

your stone shutters

Your face is

Beautiful to see

Mystical city

Flint hard through the years

Give up your mysteries to me

She searched all round for insight

Especially of the old

As she moved through the crowds

each passing day

A boatman gave her wonder

of a culture pure and true 

As they paddled off in song

Around the bay

But the town guides were more

in tune with their buildings

that stood so stoically in line

They spoke in detail 

of the history there to see 

the secret to

the passion there enshrined

Sad lady open up

your stone shutters

Your face is

Beautiful to see

Mystical city

Flint hard through the years

Give up your mysteries to me

The black gondola stealing 

through the walled canyons 

Drew images 

of deepest treachery

While the fog of narrow alleyways

Asked so many questions 

About how closed

you really want your life to be

But the stories that

she heard were mainly 

comfort to her cause

As she sought to draw the

secrets from within

And the kindly folk

she came to know from it all

stood tall amongst

their finery and sin

Sad lady open up 

your stone shutters

Your face is

Beautiful to see

Mystical city

Flint hard through the years

Give up your mysteries to me

She waved goodbye to Venezia

From beneath the sacred domes 

A morning mist 

Near lifted from the mire

The dull tones 

she had seen from the first

Gave way to dancing colours 

from a spire

At this moment she knew that 

the Lady had touched her

In wresting her pain

from deep within

The gift so gently offered 

was gratefully taken

As the rain again

played gently on her skin

Sad lady open up 

your stone shutters

Your face is

Beautiful to see

Mystical city

Flint hard through the years

Thank you for your 

Truth and dignity...

You have given back

the woman that is me

Forwarded from my I phone - Grahame J Flynn - Views in Verse

Views in Verse on 'LIFE is what YOU make it!'

THE WELL HEELED CROWD

She was a stunner as a young'un
When her star was on the rise
She caught the eye of an older man
A well heeled kind-a-guy

He got around with a spring in his step
While he sported his brand new catch
While she dined 'alfresco' with the social set 
Such a seasonal match

Summer in the Cote D'azure 
the usual soirée...
Picking up a purchase here and there 
set the right tone for the day

Commitment never seemed an issue
As they used one another with style
Burning the candle at both ends
Marriage would wait a while

She sometimes thought about a family 
when evening would fall hard
Raising the subject from time to time
Was met with flowers and card

In truth it seemed a little odd to her
that she simply didn't just 'fall...'
He offered that 'his life was hectic' 
Which explained very little at all

Later on it was as the facts came out
That he simply couldn't 'sire'
He sent her a stunning necklace
And some suitable words in a wire...

"I felt you knew when we took this up
That I'm not a fatherly guy
I love what we do have together
But I don't really know just why?"

That night she looked hard in the mirror
And did not really like what she saw
He said he needed some time abroad
From below she heard the door...

The impact of this hit her hard
and made her clearly think
What is it that I really do ...?
Except go out to functions and ...drink"

And most of her 'friends' 
now seemed so very
dreary with their lot
Just "keeping up with their daily grind"
And paying for what they'd got

On further thought she began to muse 
that winter came early this year
Recently she had just stayed at home 
While he "paid for it all ...my dear"

In that moment she came to realise
That he expected very little in fact
he flawlessly kept up his end of the deal 
in that he always did come back!

Looking again in the mirror so cold
Her thoughts they drifted afar...
I know of a perfect winter retreat
"I can spend a few weeks at the Spa"

Forwarded from my I pad - Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on dependency

Views in Verse on 'dependency'

Hearth, Home & Street

Hearth, Home & Street

The beast is gone
The beast is dead
Why can’t I square that with my head?
...if only;
Alive to chance
A daily trance
A barefaced joker lonely.
Again I press to
Call out loud
“The beast is gone”
Took the last train out,
Burnt my mind
On a roundabout;
…measured breathing
Just now begun.

Broken concrete
Heartless street
No rest now for tired feet,
Pride too is
Long since traded;
Desperate facing, ‘close’ relations
Diminished, pale and
Long since jaded.
Kind words
Lost on barren ground;
Where endurance alone
Drums a weary sound;
Fate locked lagging from
What was once...
A hopeful beat.

Whom to trust?
Whom doth contrive?
In that which beggars
And belies
A stunned and blundering fool;
Yet keenly aware of damage done,
Stark reddened ash to cool.
Reaffirmed now,
At least to try,
Where dark truth does resile,
Somewhere out there, ...plotting;
Loosened shackles
That feign release
From our values...
Relentlessly rotting.

Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse - on 'everyday heroes'

The courageous death of Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame by the hand of a terrorist this week may well mark a new page in the history of international policing. In the face of so many such siege situations that can go so often heavily the terrorist's way, police globally have in recent times been issued with orders across the board to 'engage' ...not 'mediate'. The Lindt Cafe siege was indeed our own local watershed here in Sydney.

This challenge however may well need a new form of leadership to lock these new policies and processes into place given that police have since Dirty Harry days (art imitating life) securely 'set up a base' outside the siege. So, how can leadership theory hope to deal with this change?

Beltrame had already been awarded for gallantry several times; he may well not be the average policeman who are called upon to immediately deal with these situations on arrival at the scene. Policing follow set processes; so, how can they be implemented effectively to deal with this all to often seen scenario? Clearly, leadership is the key.

Let's turn to management theory to see what may assist in such a solution.

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ - a 360 degree feedback instrument - Bass, 1988) has been a foundation stone of leadership characteristics to draw on. From this Bass became the second father (post Burns, 1978) of transformational leadership (TL) which, it must be said for all it's notoriety, has failed in the corporate world, given >70% of such efforts have not succeeded (McKinsey, 2016).

 

This style is founded in emotional responses which would appear to be the needed foundation stone for the required new transformative processes. Notwithstanding this, research of the MLQ (350 cases to date) has shown that the transformational style (TL) has "far greater effect in government and particularly in 'military' applications" (Bass, in Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2015 p. 597). So, there may be an appropriate application here despite its otherwise patchy corporate record. The transformational leadership style features:

- evoking pride and confidence

- instilling power and confidence in followers

- setting exacting standards for the organisation

- drawing self-sacrifice on behalf of the group

TL is however very much a top-down discipline and it may have indeed been 'transcended by' (Tebeian, 2012 p.365) Greenleaf's 'servant based' leadership. Which has been found to exert far greater influence at the individual level from its innovative 'who serves who' model. There are various similarities with TL such as: vision, trust, influence, credibility, support and a service mindset. Kouzes and Posner (2007, p.75) point to perhaps greater suitability of the team based focus given that the key to organisational change is 'execution' which must be implemented at the group level. Jaques (2007) has written on this extensively with similar recommendations. 

Bibu (2007) too has expressed that the empowering process of a team is best oriented towards achieving a common task in an innovative way. 'The group climate' (Manole, et al, 2011 in Androniceanu, 2011), as a situation, can be controlled by the leader's style. 

Both styles do tap into the essence of charismatic leadership which 'creates the greatest personal commitment' (Boyatzis and McKee, 2005). Tebeian (2012, p. 314) further notes that ethical, effective leadership motivational models very much drive job satisfaction which is the empowering hub of group performance.

While a hybrid model may be appropriate, Becker and Huselid (1999) stressed the importance of effectively integrating key strategic models designed to re-frame the organisation's internal environments. Once again, care during implementation would create more successful outcomes. It is the one-off communication plan that failed the corporate world.

'The willingness of organisations to pursue systematically the twin goals of achieving organisational mission and assisting employees to achieve their personal goals is an implicit obligation of ethical stewardship and organisational leadership' (Bernard and Andrews, 2007).

On successful leadership of required changes

Thereby, it can be seen from the above cases that with effective leadership instruments and normative systems (values, trust based), there is hope for greater security from our international policing bodies as they strive to implement new and aggressive models designed to thwart terrorist siege situations.

Organisational systems and programs must be designed and implemented such that they reinforce employee behaviors that can produce the desired outcomes.

We should always, of course, take the time to recognize the individual bravery of a true hero such as Lt. Col. Beltrame. 

Views in verse on my northern star

I said farewell to my much loved uncle today. This humble, generous man was my guide in life. Such a wonderful, insightful man.

The Tradesman

I love to see a tradesman at his work

His machines and tools,

Ready companions in his toil.

His hand eye movements quick

With every easy lick

Enjoying each pass with a guarded smile

No need to stop at all

Unless resources stall

Breaks somehow not needed in his grind.

The caste-offs there about him,

Redundant to his needs

The broom can lie idle quite some time

You may hear the odd cuss

As time passes through his day

As natural as the tunes, he might care to mutter.

If you were there nearby,

He’d find you a twinkled smile

But not long enough to distract him from his labours

His increasing gritty form

Not an issue, not at all

He’d see to that when’er his work was done.

The work-bell’s now been rung,

Seems it’s over …he’s been told,

“Les, come along inside, tea’s getting cold”

Views in verse on 'old friends'

We caught up with some 'old friends' tonight. I can't express how much they come to mean to you after all these years, truly ...but I can try!

Old Friends

Friendships,
Too often fleeting
Only a few of them
Will stay with us for life
No one can deny
The odd test along the way
Disappointments,
The joy, the strife.

The secret,
To true friendship
Equates to ‘the giving’ rather than
What we might ask in return.
Much of it, mutual exchanges
From which we learn
That no one of us is perfect
We're human after all.

At the heart,
An understanding...
That when needed,
You will always, aways be there;
Keeping yourself
True to who you are;
Yet, respecting
The bond that you share.

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on 'transcending'

Meditating...

Little cottage, 
On the hill
Edged high above the water
One day soon
When the clouds are high
Detached, released, I ought to
Fetch brown paper
Some balsa wood
A ball of string then
Lose myself in
A fair weather wind
Drifting,upward ...zen

Sent from my iPhone Grahame J Flynn Views in verse

views in verse on father and son

Dear Father

We bypassed your counsel
For enlightenment of the age,
Dylan,Simon,Morrison, Lennon,
The 60’s marked
The turning of a page.
A place
Where we reached out
For a new found freedom
Not a goat
Chained to a stake
‘Liberty’ - surprise!
Is a basic right,
Not mere acceptance
Of mandate

Our parents however
Somehow seemed immune
To the great change
That was moving along
Without them
As Ginsberg, Kerouac & Leary
Laid waste to
Whatever pretext remained standing
Of the world that they had known.
The Beat Generation had delivered;
Free thinking philosophies,
Organically grown

This new era was however
Still marching in a shadow
In the yoke of a sullen call
Beating to the time
Of yet another war
That seemed to
Sour one’s own precious youth
Unprepared victims in its path
All the while dreading
That heartless free-fall threading
A number that could so easily
Send you off to die
And everyone knew it wasn’t cool
To resile, recluse or ...cry

The unlucky ones
Marched off together
Few Aussies thankfully
Died in its wake
Though most
Didn’t came back the same
And could only routinely
Be drawn or
Fall into a lure
Of bright flowers lain
In an adverse culture
That casually offered
Little comfort
And a cold, closed refrain

So Dad,
In these years
You were cast asunder,
As I recklessly resolved,
These pitched conflicting forces
But I did come back to know you
As you too came to change
Given ample space
into your autumn years.
There was indeed
A great love of life embraced
From the lost years, together due

Until you pained
Into dementia
And I was more than surprised
When I could not
Adequately contain my loss.
My grieving done there...
Your death
Then transformed me
Into a much more welcome tranche
One where
A rolling stone was at last
Now free
To softly gather some moss

Sent from my iPhone Grahame J Flynn Views in verse

Views in Verse on 'reflection & direction'

Reflection & Direction 

(QVB, Sydney)

Her statue commands
Out front a building grande
Guarded only by an iron boar
A living monument, mate
To an Ozzie Queen
You can shop there floor by floor

Should say, the tourists do...
By the bus load, friend
Only they can afford the booty
And it’s decadence abounding
Space for the kids to run round in
Up in the rafters they’re serving hi-tea

You’ll get great photo shots
Of European clocks
Formal tolling at the top of the hour
The facade stands bright
Riche ‘glowing’ at night
Dedication to a monarch’s power

So, you can feel like royalty
In our main streets ‘Dig’
Though such adoration does cause some confusion
For as much as we’re free
In our dust red country
Time to re-think our constitution...?

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in verse

Views in Verse on age old questions

Age old questions

In your darker moments are you beset by worry of ‘what life has left for you?’
Introspective windows into your days; atonement for what might have been?
While searching yourself rigorously for the positives…
Are there indeed consolations here to glean?’

When examining your latest unexplained spray of nasal hair,
Do you pose to consider ‘whatever else may have changed?’
Beyond unfounded parental ambitions, the lesser path followed…?
You’d say, ‘yeah, I’m pretty well much the same’!

Nor should we be given to Shakespearean rhetoric on a cold untimely death
‘Fear no more the heat of the sun…’ …it’s coming to an end
Or Bob Dylan’s ‘old men with broken teeth, stranded without love’
So many street-people, all too often, have a ready smile to lend

Are your friends furthermore rabbiting-on about their health, raining on the parade …?
These dalliances, again, must be met with a positive spin
We’re here for a short time, let’s make it a good one
Perception rules, in face of the truth, in this world we’re living in!

from my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on 'transparency'

They say 'what you see is what you get' but can we believe even half of 'what we hear'?

Masking

So, you’ve asked for my point of view…?
But how can I portray…
My real thoughts to you, on any given day?
I grant you have an expectation
That you will seek an affirmation
But is it my considered view that you seek anyway’?

Masking brings with it a sense of the obtuse
In that what we opt to show
Is not even close to what we know
While communication so abused
And with masks we lamely choose
Will only stymie best intent and tamper with the flow

While the quest for desired relationships
Will lack a certain candor
Then will blunder on in search of something even grander.
Given, an openness unresolved
Between the parties here involved,
The dialogue shared can hope to be at best just jolly banter.

Conversely, masks may add a little something:
For the young …the impressible
Indeed, to express the the words of the inexpressible
Perhaps, to convey some feigned interest
Or bring meaning, to the witless
Or allow gallant outliers, to rise to the inaccessible

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on incidence

Back from Kilkenny

I lost my cache on the way to Kilkenny
Nary such a loss befell…
Then chanced at love in my days back in Dublin
A rose lay upon my bed
Two mavericks, adrift in a daydream
Felicity nay intervened
A free-wheeling, abiding, ‘rub of the green’
I was blessed for a life so wed

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in verse on 'that holiday feeling'

HOLIDAY VERSE

Two weeks in, I’m stunned into a void
A place you only dream that you can be
My window frames a show there for me of softly floating clouds
Moving gently from my right into left
The canvas only touched by the subtle wings of birds

The day’s tasks so done, orderly at first
I’ve given over now to my thoughts
Finish 'the read' is top of mind; perhaps some random verse
Lines that come easy, not heavy with ruling words
This calm vista may too just dull me into a dozy sleep

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on 'the little things'

Home

As I rounded the corner, 
I drew a breath
A tear forced to an eye
The terrace block then locked into view
So long, so far and …why?

The fore-held notions
That cruelled me back then,
Today, I would address and wholly decry;
Sibling rivalries that troubled me too…
No longer would apply

Whether I was missed,
Or will even be kissed
Won’t stop me from resuming my place;
Home is not just some place you go back to
I allow a glad smile to my face

The familiar tamp
On the front porch floor
An easy push on the old brown door
The emotions that sure enough left me alone
Now return me safe home once more

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse

Views in Verse on 'what's next?'

Parallel Paths

Seems like the sun’s not shining …in the way it was before

Got to wondering what else life has planned for me in store

Grey skies dark are reigning over …the season’s at an end

It’s down to me…

Where do I go from here?

Has to be an opportunity …awaits somewhere away

Yet, I willfully cling to things that got me here today

It feels as though I’m getting less …than what I’m putting in

It’s down to me…

Where do I go from here?

One can muse there’s a parallel path

We all could have taken

One that weaved

So dreamily through the woods

From time to time we see glimpses

Out of the corner of an eye

Yet, not enough,

To distract us from …’the grid’

Just the same, there’s thoughts and visions a-nagging in my brain

Things that could exact a searching walk out in the rain

‘Sitting still’ is ‘sliding back’, now's the time for ‘breaking through’

It’s down to me…

Where do I go from here?

Yes, it’s down to me…

Where do I go from here?

From my desktop Grahame J Flynn Views in Verse