Three cheers for the amiable Rotarian

Character is not what you wear

Like an ill-fitting costume as a clown

Might do, though that’s fine as fancy gear

For a party, or when acting in a play uptown.

I mean the word in its other sense

When we pay tribute to someone’s character,

That which cannot be bought for dollars or cents.

For it is a thing of glory, forged within. A benefactor

Who does good work unseen might have it,

Or the person working honestly for a charity,

Or the generous ones, who give their time tirelessly,

Always extending a helping hand, not the slightest bit

Unwilling. They might protect children crossing with a flag,

Or set up other flags for a Rotary meeting every week,

Put together its bulletin, handle its AV reliably.

Such tasks might cause others to back away.

If asked to take over these jobs, their shoulders might sag.

What I am talking about here is almost like an inner light,

A force that we recognise straight away in a doer, an enactor.

It’s not just the gift of giving, or just wanting to be polite,

Or the spirit of service that we see in a person of character,

but love in plain sight.

Brian Devlin
Darwin
December 27^th, 2022