YOURS FAITHFULLY • by Kelvin Fowler


I am the offspring of an unwanted guest.
Wars were fought to keep my forefathers out.
It’s complicated, you relented
and we flourished at your expense.

But now like a displaced person
I apologetically search the ashes of our culture
for my identity.

An identity post pioneer stock,
treaty squabbles and Crown dominance.
An identity of forgiven history
and embracing cultures.

My ignorance and arrogance
have danced together for way too long.
It’s time for me to let go
and experience the insecurity
of unsung waters.

Kelvin Fowler is a Kiwi who grew up just south of Dunedin, New Zealand. He presently works with, among other people groups, orphans in the ex-Soviet country of Lithuania. He enjoys many styles of writing, painting and photography.

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YOURS FAITHFULLY • by Kelvin Fowler, 2.9 out of 5 based on 17 ratings
Posted on August 12, 2011 in Literary, Poems
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6 Responses to “YOURS FAITHFULLY • by Kelvin Fowler”


  1. Yours Faithfully Says:
    August 12th, 2011 at 1:20 am

    [...] Faithfully’ was first posted at ‘Every Day Poets‘. Please click here to rate the [...]

  2. Nancy Wilcox Says:
    August 12th, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    I like that ‘unsung waters’ and the way you pair ignorance and arrogance. Looking back to my own heritage, I find out that I’m not actually a Cherokee, because my great great grandmother didn’t stay on the reservation. Leaving was in essence giving up her identity for herself and all her descendents. Who knew?

  3. Vondrakker Says:
    August 12th, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    Volumes here!
    All in the interpretation.
    Well done, Kelvin
    look fwd to more from you.
    Five stars

  4. Roberta Schulberg aka Roberta SchulbergGoro Says:
    August 12th, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    This poem of delving into the self elicits concern and sympathy from the reader. But doesn’t going to unsung waters repeat the unhappy history?

  5. Marion Says:
    August 14th, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    I love how you ‘search the ashes of (your) culture’.

  6. Kel Says:
    August 15th, 2011 at 10:02 am

    Roberta

    Repeating history would be accepting status-quo and allowing history to repeat. Unsung waters would be allowing myself to be prepared to give up what it means to be a white child of former colonial powers, thus allowing other cultures to shape me and remould our nation.

    Thanks everyone for you comments.

    Cheers Kel

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